If you have been following our blog, you will remember a post from a few weeks ago about art therapy. The short piece talked about art’s unique ability to transcend physical healing and address the multi-dimensional experience of chronic pain, specifically the emotional and psychological components. Music therapy is similar to art therapy in this…

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Animals, especially domestic companions such as dogs and cats, bring people happiness. But could animals actually make us healthier, too? Is it time to start considering animal-assisted therapy a viable complementary and alternative healing practice for those living with chronic pain? Scientists think so, and studies have been conducted to try and quantify the health…

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Next time you find yourself surrounded by strangers in a public space—in line at the grocery store, in the waiting room at your doctor’s office, on the train to work—look around. How many people do you see with their heads down, buried in their cell phone or other device? Students and working adults: in the…

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Many of us have experienced that scents can have a real, tangible impact on our state of being; lavender oil during a massage soothes us, the smell of rotting food disgusts us, the scent of a grandparent’s sweater evokes memories in us. Through these daily experiences, we have learned that our sense of smell has…

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Joy Stone is a positive psychology coach and yoga teacher based in Los Angeles. Recently, several PMIR team members had the pleasure of attending a talk given by Joy on mindfulness and positivity, and we felt that the topic resonated deeply with our commitment to a holistic and integrative approach to pain management. Here are…

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Individuals who live with chronic pain often have a hard time finding the words to accurately describe it because their experiences are nuanced and multi-faceted; yet they are expected to do so all the time by their doctors, friends, coworkers and family. Struggling to communicate their experience can be frustrating for both the individual and…

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There are many people who believe that as they age, chronic pain is inevitable. They believe that it’s normal to wake up every morning in constant pain for the rest of their lives. They have convinced themselves that’s simply “the way that it is.” This could not be further from the truth. Yes, we agree…

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With more than three million US cases per year, chronic pain is defined as persistent pain that lasts more than six months. Chronic pain is caused by a variety of factors and can manifest in many areas of the body. Headaches, joint pain, injury and backaches, as well as generalized muscle or nerve pain, can…

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For those suffering from lower back pain, performing normal daily activities can be a struggle. You may have strained a muscle lifting something heavy or simply suffer the pain caused by sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. Whatever it may be, yoga is one of the best ways to help ease lower…

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Spondylolisthesis (spän-də-lō-lis-ˈthē-səs)is a condition where a vertebra slips over another vertebra below it. It typically occurs in the lower spine and sometimes will lead to the compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. As a result, it can cause numb sensations or weakness in the legs and pain in the lower back. What causes…

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