Body
Megan H., 46, has lived with chronic pain her entire adult life. She finally learned strategies and techniques for better managing her pain and flare-ups when she discovered Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Pain Management Center, one of the only interdisciplinary pain clinics in the country that offers a novel, team-based approach to help patients with pain.
Megan’s experiences were featured in a recent Newsweek article. The article underscored that many chronic pain specialists believe “an integrative care model, like the one at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, is considered the gold standard for treatment.”
The article also noted: “This method treats pain like the complex condition that it is and allows patients to build longitudinal relationships that are crucial for nervous system regulation.”
Megan’s personal journey reflects that complexity. Her chronic pain started in college after a serious illness triggered other debilitating conditions, including scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. Ultimately, a significant flare-up left her bedridden, keeping her from her busy life running her own company, raising two children and traveling.
"I was scared to make any move," Megan said in the article. "I was scared to sneeze ... I was nervous to get out of bed. Anything I did could and often would trigger pain.
"I had that physical freeze, but I also had significant emotional and mental freeze and really withdrew from my life because I didn't know what else to do," she continued.
After years of searching for solutions, she was referred to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Pain Management Center and, finally, she found a path toward relief.
As noted in the Newsweek article, Megan’s care team — including doctors, psychologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists — “worked together to tackle all of [her] diagnoses rather than addressing one at a time.”
Over a four-week program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, she attended group and individual sessions to learn skills and strategies to manage pain, including stretching exercises to reduce pain and numbness; pacing strategies to preserve her energy; and sleep, mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
“I feel fulfilled, I feel happy, I feel engaged in my life, and I'm at peace with the fact that I have this chronic health journey that I am still continuing to navigate," said Megan, in the article.
