WVU in the News: Chronic pain study to serve as health care tool

A chronic pain study in Washington County in partnership with West Virginia University Medicine’s Department of Orthopedics kicked off on Mar. 20.

The study begins with a six-week series of workshops where participants will learn about acute versus chronic pain, brain chemistry and pain, the importance of sleep and how to manage fatigue, depression management, healthy eating and communication skills with loved ones and health care providers.

“This is an evidence-based program and what we already know is that the outcomes achieved last three months post-workshops,” explained Court Witschey, director of population health at the Washington County Health Department. “Now we’re studying if the outcomes of these classes will last six months and up to a year…whether the decreased pain, increased vitality, life satisfaction and confidence in what we can physically do continues longer-term.”

Participants in the program were required to be over 18 years old and were screened through Monday for admittance into the study’s two spring workshops occurring weekly on either Tuesday evenings or Thursday mornings.

The same workshops will be held in the fall, all at the county health department, said Witschey.

Read the full article from The Marietta Times