«Inpatient diagnostics and multimodal therapy is a key competence of our clinic.»
Professor Dr.med. Dr.rer.nat. Stephan Gadola, Head Physician at the Rheumatism/Pain Clinic
Welcome to our blog
07. February 2022
Our key expertise in the rheumatism/pain clinic: inpatient diagnostics and multimodal therapies
Inpatient diagnostics and multimodal therapy is a key competence in our clinic. We interviewed head physician Prof Stephan Gadola about the innovative approach.
Mr Gadola, for whom is inpatient treatment for pain particularly suitable?
Patients with the following symptoms:
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain that cannot be adequately treated on an outpatient basis
- Severe chronic or acute pain that severely impairs the patient's freedom of movement and/or independence
- Herniated discs that are accompanied by paralysis/weakness, very severe pain and/or sensory disturbances (numbness)
- Unclear pain syndromes
What specific treatment programmes do you offer and what is special about them?
We offer intensive inpatient treatment programmes, which are often the only remaining option for a breakthrough in the treatment of chronic pain that cannot be managed on an outpatient basis. The basic principle of these inpatient treatment programmes is the so-called multimodal, interdisciplinary and holistic problem analysis and treatment.
Do you offer all of this in the clinic or with whom and how do you work together?
No, we can do a lot, but not everything. We rely on other specialists for multimodal treatment. We typically work closely with the following disciplines:
- Rheumatology and Pain Medicine Clinic: management & coordination of diagnostics and treatment as well as daily visits and 1:1 care of patients
- Physiotherapy & occupational therapy: during an 8-day stay, patients receive between 18 and 25 therapy units (active and passive therapies)
- Nursing: close cooperation with our nursing staff, e.g. in the assessment of functional limitations and the response to therapies
- Social services: organisation of home help, follow-up solutions (e.g. rehabilitation, health cure, holiday beds, nursing home)
- Psychological care: evaluation of psychological factors that influence the perception of pain, special drug therapies, planning of medication withdrawal or special therapies, e.g. relaxation therapy
- Neurology, spinal surgery and orthopaedics: interdisciplinary discussion of specific issues, e.g. clarification of an indication for surgery
- Pastoral care: for emotional support during the stay
- Rehabilitation: organisation of an optional follow-up stay in rehabilitation for our patients.
Professor Dr.med. Dr.rer.nat. Stephan Gadola, Head Physician at the Rheumatism/Pain Clinic
What do you offer if medication and physiotherapy do not have a sufficient effect?
In situations where medication and physiotherapy do not have a sufficient pain-relieving effect, a targeted intervention or infiltration (injection) at the site of the cause of the pain can be used. The indication, potential benefits and possible risks of such an infiltration are discussed in detail with our patients. At our clinic, we offer a variety of different X-ray and ultrasound-guided intervention procedures.
An intervention on the spine sounds risky. How do you go about it?
Therapeutic interventions on the spine are always carried out under X-ray fluoroscopy or CT guidance and under contrast medium control. This allows us to minimise the risk as much as possible.