New therapy center for chronic pain opened in Rabenhof!

New therapy center for chronic pain opened in Rabenhof!

In the heart of Vienna, the Sacred Heart Hospital is opening a new therapy center for chronic pain (TCS) in Rabenhof. This center aims to cater to the needs of around 14,000 people suffering from chronic pain in the city. The whole of Austria has around 1.5 million people affected, which illustrates the urgency of this facility. The aim is to ensure a comprehensive treatment approach to address the seriousness of the pain problem, as meinbezirk.at reports.

The partners in the project are well-known institutions, including the Vinzenz Group and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). The Social Insurance Agency for the Self-Employed (SVS) and other insurance institutions also support this project. This merger ensures that the TCS acts as a first point of contact for evidence-based therapies delivered by an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and therapists.

Diverse therapeutic approaches

The therapy center offers a wide range of treatment options, including medical therapies, outpatient relaxation techniques, pain management training, acupuncture, biofeedback, and physical and occupational therapy. Particularly noteworthy are the innovative virtual reality therapies, which offer patients new ways to deal with their pain. The State Secretary for Health, Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig, emphasizes the social relevance of the TCS, which makes modern forms of treatment accessible regardless of income.

City councilor Peter Hacker has already announced that the TCS is one of three planned pain centers in Vienna. Another center is expected to open in the Danube city next year. This gives Vienna the opportunity to be the first federal state to establish a graduated pain care system. The experiences from the TCS should play an important role in the planning of further Austria-wide care offerings.

A holistic treatment approach

The importance of a comprehensive approach to treating chronic pain is undisputed. The biopsychosocial pain concept is currently being reevaluated because it often does not capture the entire range of needs of those affected. Chronic pain is not just a physical complaint, for many it also represents an existential challenge that can threaten patients' understanding of themselves and the world. This perspective complements the approaches of modern pain therapy, which increasingly addresses the spiritual and emotional needs of patients, as studies show. Against this background, the TCS relies on individual therapy concepts to do justice to the unique experiences of each individual, as can be found on pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Overall, the opening of the new therapy center for chronic pain represents an important step towards improved pain care in Vienna. With a holistic approach, the complex nature of chronic pain is taken into account, which can offer those affected hope and support. Not only a medical center is being created here, but also a human center that addresses the challenges and needs of its patients.