Pain management

Occupational therapy practitioners work with clients who may be or who are experiencing pain. Services are often provided in multi-disciplinary teams, where clients can benefit from the team approach.

Pain may come from an acute medical episode or be due to chronic conditions. Occupational therapy's focus on whole-person health is ideal for addressing the needs of clients experiencing pain. Occupational therapy practitioners can provide services such as:

• Completing pain assessments, including pain perception and pain coping skills
• Addressing return to meaningful daily activities (occupations)
• Modifying the environment to support daily activities
• Training in pacing and energy conservation techniques
• Training in body mechanics and posture during daily activities
• Addressing self-regulation, self-advocacy, and self-management of pain
• Injury prevention training
• Implementing health management plans for sleeping, eating, and exercising
• Use of physical agent and mechanical modalities (e.g., heat, cold, electrical stimulation) to support daily activities
• Facilitation of pain management groups

The American Occupational Therapy Association partnered with the Alliance to Advance Compressive Integrated Pain Management (AACIPM) to develop this resource. It outlines the role of occupational therapy in pain management and can be utilized to advocate for our role with clients, administrators, and payers.

In addition, AACIPM has posted this resource, and further information about occupational therapy on their website: Strategies for Incorporating Occupational Therapy into Your Pain Toolbox

Occupational Therapy was specifically recognized as a key service to treat chronic pain in an educational document created jointly by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

• According to CMS, The intent of the Chronic Pain Experience Journey Map is to highlight the most prominent barriers experienced by people accessing care, ultimately affecting the person with chronic pain, their quality of care, and their quality of life.
• This work aligns with the CMS Behavioral Health Strategy, the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy, and important provisions of the SUPPORT Act that address the treatment of pain.

AOTA staff and volunteer experts have been collaborating over several years to distinguish the role of occupational therapy in supporting clients with chronic pain management through a series of advocacy efforts, including submitting comments to and meeting with CMS officials, CDC officials, Congressional representatives and the National Quality Forum, as well as publication of educational materials and partnering with other national organizations to highlight the role of OT.

This can be used as a guide to clinical decision making when working with adults with chronic conditions.