New developments in rehabilitation of neuropathic pain syndromes: Interdisciplinary team approach

The coordinated application of the holistic principles of rehabilitation in neuropathic pain can often mean the difference between a tolerable successful outcome and failure. Since these rehabilitation techniques represent nonsurgical, noninvasive, and nontoxic interventions, they should always be considered early in every complicated case. Given that the goals of rehabilitation treatment are decreased pain, increased functioning, decreased long-term healthcare utilization, and decreased use of medications, an interdisciplinary approach ideally meets the needs not only of the patients but also of the healthcare industry. The rehabilitation techniques discussed are labor and thought intensive on the part of both patient and staff, but can yield significant long-term increase in health and in quality of life.