Bob is a 54 year old man. He has worked as a truck driver for 25 years. Bob sustained an injury to his lower back whilst operating a pallet jack at work six months ago. Surgery was not appropriate, and Bob has undergone physiotherapy, however he has still been unable to return to his original job due to ongoing pain in his lower back. Because of an extended time off work and ongoing pain, Bob has also recently become depressed.

Bob was referred to our services and, following a screening assessment, attended our two week comprehensive pain management program. At the beginning of the program he sat with physiotherapists Steve and Darrin. Bob learned all about the anatomy of his injury and how to differentiate between hurt and harm. A lot of his questions were answered and he found that his injury was "de-mystified".

Bob gained further practical strategies in the form of exercise, stretch and use of heat and relaxation to address the muscular component of pain in his lower back. Bob worked with Denise, the exercise physiologist, to create an individualised exercise program to suit his needs. With assistance from psychologist Paul, Bob gained skills in stress management and overcoming depression.

Bob worked with occupational therapists Sue and Marnie to improve his manual handling skills, assist with pacing activities, and prepare him for returning to the workforce. During his screening assessment, Sue identified that Bob would be an excellent candidate for host employment. Whilst he was on program a host placement was found by IWH, and Bob commenced a four week graded host employment program at a local automotive dealer (an area of particular interest to Bob) the week after he finished program.

Bob continued to attend gym for one month following his pain program. During this time he steadily upgraded his physical capacity and was able to track his progress with monitoring by Denise.

Bob also attended two follow up adjustment to injury sessions with Paul, for some fine tuning of coping strategies. Bob felt empowered by taking control of his injury, working towards reconditioning, and getting back in the workforce.

With his improved physical capacity and with an understanding of his injury, Bob was able to return to his original employer four weeks following his pain program. He continued to experience a level of ongoing pain, however the pain no longer controlled his life or held him back at work or at home. He felt in control of his life again.