Preventing Chronic Pain - A Human Systems Approach - Coursera - Dr. James Fricton

The Seven Realms - from the  on-line class on Preventing Chronic Pain 

Just finished taking U of Minnesota professor Dr. James Fricton's Coursera on-line class Preventing Chronic Pain - A Human Systems Approach. This course provides a 360 view of chronic pain focused on a transformative model of health care. In this model the patient is not a passive receptor of medical care but takes responsibility for 80% of the success of pain management. This requires an integrative approach involving many health care providers for complex cases and training of patients to adapt the habits to prevent chronic pain or manage the effects of chronic pain on their life.

The ten week self-paced course includes two lessons each week with video lectures a discussion question and a brief multiple choice quiz that requires an 80% passing grade. At the end of each lecture a colleague interviews Dr. Fricton about a portion of the The Last Scroll book that deals with the topic covered in the lectures.

Dr. James Fricton wrote this romantic suspense book, The Last Scroll: A Novel, to highlight the seven realms that people need develop and foster to have a healthy life. The book starts in Minnesota and then shifts to Italy where researchers are uncovering the secrets of recently uncovered Dead Sea Scroll.

Several guest lecturers drill down on topics related to pain and nerve response in the peripheral and central nervous system. The relative effectiveness of various pain medications for different types of pain are covered. After separate lectures on headaches and fibromyalgia, a summary lecture explores the overlap of multiple chronic pain disorders.

Lecturers discuss the close relationship between physical injury and psychological stress to pain response. The discussion on referred myofascial pain improved my understanding of how a pressure point in one part of the body can trigger pain at a location far from the source.

Lectures also cover nutrition, exercise, guided meditation, safe practices and ergonomics. The ergonomic program fits into my current role at the University. We posted stretching exercises designed by graduate students in kinesiology to reduce the likelihood of injury on the job.

At the end of the course Dr Fricton interviews individuals from various disciplines practicing in the field of pain management. He also offers his vision for a system of transformative health care, that improves patient outcomes, improves coordination of care, and reduces costs.

Dr. James Fricton - Transformative Care - 5 min.

Pain, the nervous system, patient control, and the 7 realms - 4 min.