Veterans suffering from chronic pain find relief through Functional Rehabilitation Group

The Functional Rehabilitation Group is an 8-week movement and educational program administered through the physical therapy department, which aims to help Veterans living with persistent pain develop active pain recovery strategies through lifestyle and behavioral modification.

“I think the most important piece is really focusing on the patient, all the providers forming a therapeutic alliance and really centering around the patients, actually answering their questions and listening to them,” said Jennifer Batie Mueller, one of the physical therapists who organized and administers the group. “Once they feel like their pain is validated, heard and listened to, and they’re actually getting the comprehensive treatment and care, that is already a wall that could be torn down.”

Veterans who need additional resources to manage their chronic or persistent pain are referred to the group through their care team. Prior to joining the group, they are evaluated through physical therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and mental health pain psychology to ensure the group is appropriate for them.

One of those patients who recently graduated from the group is U.S. Army Veteran Cory Shier. He served seven years on active duty as an infantryman, leading to chronic pain in his post-military life.

“I like to call it the after-infantry care package,” Shier said. “Just spending years pushing through the pain and all the extra fatigue that the job puts on you eventually started taking its toll. I’ve been out of service now for almost 10 years, and I’ve constantly been in the VA, constantly in and out of physical therapy.”

He said the program has helped him adjust his thinking when it comes to working out.

“It’s nice to understand that physical activity or stretching doesn’t have to be intense,” Shier said. “Obviously everything involved with the infantry is very intense, and I've always looked at working out or staying in shape as it's got to be just really hard work to do it. This teaches you that even getting out, just doing a little bit, keeping moving, doing a little bit of stretching, does help cope with the constant drag of feeling like you're always in pain.”

He added that it was wonderful to see so many people and providers take time out of their days to work with the group.

“How much time and effort that they put into these groups is amazing,” Shier said. “The thing is they don't have to do it, but they want to do it because they want to see Veterans live with better health.”

Shier said he has learned even more about what the Milwaukee VA has to offer through the Functional Rehabilitation Group.

“There are so many different things here available to us Veterans that we don't know about because it's not like it's advertised or put out on display,” Shier said. “You have to ask, and you have to be able to talk about your problems, advocate for yourself sometimes as hard as it is, but just don't give up. Keep putting yourself forward because honestly, at the end of the day, you deserve it.”

The Functional Rehabilitation Group has four cohorts each year with Veterans of all ages and genders. The group meets three times a week for two hours. The first hour is all movement, and the second hour is educational. Some of the disciplines presented in the education portion include Whole Health, pain psychology, chaplain services, nutrition, pharmacy, and recreation and creative arts therapy. Veterans can attend the group in-person or virtually.

“We started with this multidisciplinary team putting our heads together and saying, ‘how can we have a comprehensive, non-pharmacological pain treatment for patients?’ because the research shows that multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary, or even transdisciplinary groups are effective in treating persistent pain,” said Batie Mueller.

After completing the eight-week program, Veterans continue to come in once a week for four weeks for a subgroup called “Protect Your Progress.” The subgroup reviews some of the major themes from the Functional Rehabilitation Group and is more patient led.

“We do a lot where the patient needs to focus on strengthening,” Batie Mueller said. “They really see a change in function and strength after eight weeks. Then they want to go on to higher level strengthening, so we’ll focus on that in Protect Your Progress.”

After completing both groups, patients are typically seen one-on-one through physical therapy or physical medicine and rehabilitation for continued guided care. There are, however, patients who feel better suited to manage their pain without follow-on care.

“We know we did a good job when patients say, ‘no, I think I’m okay.’” Batie Mueller said. “We’re seeing that. We’re seeing that patients are actually like, ‘I can keep going and not need to come back for one-on-one sessions.’”