Pacing, pacing, pacing – good, bad, or … ?

There’s nothing that pain peeps seem to like more than a good dispute over whether something is good, or not so good for treatment. Pacing is a perennial topic for this kind of vexed discussion. Advocates say “But look at what it does for me! I can do more without getting my pain out of control!” Those not quite as convinced say “But look at how little you’re doing, and you keep letting pain get in the way of what you really want to do!” Defining and measuring pacing is just as vexed as deciding whether it’s a good thing or not. Pacing isn’t well-defined and there are several definitions to hand. The paper I’m discussing today identifies five themes of pacing, and based this on Delphi technique followed by a psychometric study to ensure the items make sense. The three aspects of pacing are: activity adjustment, activity consistency, activity progression, activity planning and activity acceptance. Activity adjustment is about adjusting how we go about doing things – approaches like breaking a task down, using rest breaks, and alternating activities. Activity consistency is about undertaking a consistent amount of activity each day – the “do no more on good days, do no less on bad” approach. Activity progression refers to gradually increasing activities that have been avoided in the past, as well as gradually increasing the time spent on each task. Activity planning involves setting activity levels, s...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: 'Pacing' or Quota Assessment Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Pain conditions Research Science in practice biopsychosocial pain management self management Therapeutic approaches Source Type: blogs