The strategy of the Swiss Pain Institute takes into account the patient and his or her pain in an analytical way. The patient can thus benefit from a global approach to his suffering, from the initial diagnosis to the treatment.
Our team is very much oriented towards the patient’s project and adapts as much as possible to the patient’s path. A young sports patient suffering from localized pain will probably have a completely different request and clinical course than an elderly person.
Among the most frequent pains, we can mention:
Pain can take up a lot of space in a person’s life. Complex to explain, difficult to understand by family and friends and sometimes by health professionals, it can have a strong psychological and social impact on the person suffering.
The Swiss Pain Institute adopts a resolutely multidisciplinary approach with both a biomedical and – if necessary – a psychosocial approach. Our approach is initially based on listening to the patient and his or her environment. This allows us to determine the characteristics of the pain, its impact on the patient’s quality of life and also to personalize the follow-up.
This way, we adapt to the needs of the person in a sustainable way:
During the first consultation, the pain doctor will set up a treatment plan with you. We will talk about your pain, your history and clarify the various aspects of the problem with the help of a previously completed questionnaire. Based on this discussion, a treatment plan will be developed in consultation with you.
While for some people a problem with back pain requires only one or two diagnostic tests and subsequent minimally invasive treatment, others need to be seen by a whole team (including doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists and nurses). This is referred to as bio-psycho-social care.
At this point, it is crucial to have a temporal overview, to understand the different aspects of the situation and to guide the treatment, the management of pain and related suffering.
We are supported by specialists from various fields, such as neurologists, rheumatologists, oncologists, neurosurgeons, general surgeons and even orthopedic surgeons.
With the help of their skills and expertise, we can provide our patients at the Institute with holistic support in all areas, thus reducing complaints and improving quality of life.
Thanks to an individualized strategy, state-of-the-art equipment and innovative techniques, the Swiss Pain Institute offers a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic services to provide the best possible care for pain at every stage of the patient’s treatment.
The same specialist doctor is the patient’s referent throughout the treatment process. He is assisted by the multidisciplinary team and, if necessary, by consulting physicians from specific fields (physiotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, hypnotherapist, among others). The referring physician is systematically kept informed.
For persistent pain that still requires diagnostic precision, for example for back pain, minimally invasive approaches are often used to determine the anatomical structure(s) generating the pain. It is in these situations that specific anesthetic techniques are used. Hypnosis, cognitive-behavioral therapy, osteopathy, and rehabilitation are other approaches that we offer in collaboration with our consultants and specialized colleagues.
Our diagnostic tests are often performed in close collaboration with our physiotherapists. These specialists carefully examine the patient before and after the tests performed by the doctor, in order to observe and measure the changes obtained with a critical eye. Treatments are also jointly conducted and discussed with our team as well as with the physiotherapist outside the Institute.
The Institute’s nurses are a constant support for the patient during his or her treatment. They are very attentive and often discuss problems with patients that they do not always share with doctors. This often essential information is integrated into the overall therapeutic approach. They also play an important role in teaching patients and maintaining their overall health.
The patient-nurse relationship is fundamental to the understanding of the patient and his/her social environment.