Timmers Peter (Rolle)

Most patients come for pain-related problems.

In the case of pain, there is rarely a direct link between an injury, its severity, and the intensity and duration of the pain. And yet... pain is not the same thing as suffering.

Pain is a complex sensory and emotional experience, and our beliefs, emotions and social interactions have important influences on our pain, disability, handicap, behavior and how we respond to treatment.

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has formulated pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, associated with or described as actual or potential tissue damage. Pain is thus undeniably associated with an unpleasant emotion. The IASP is very clear on this point: it is undoubtedly a sensation in one or more parts of the body, but it is always unpleasant and consequently an emotional experience.

For this reason, a purely biomechanical approach is not always enough, but it's also important to take psychological and socio-cultural aspects into account.

In addition to physiotherapy techniques such as exercise, training and manual therapy (Maitland), I also use approaches from cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and therapeutic patient education (TPE) where necessary, to help patients change their active lifestyle and deal with the multiple obstacles that prevent them from living more serenely. The methods used are evidence-based wherever possible.

I share this space with Katja McIntyre's Ergorolle occupational therapy practice. Occupational therapy enables people whose ability to act has been impaired by accident, illness or surgery to regain or maintain their independence in activities of daily living, whether at home, at work or at play. Treatments offered for hand and upper limb rehabilitation include mobilization, lymphatic drainage, sensitivity rehabilitation, scar treatment and custom-made orthotics; and for functional rehabilitation, training in activities of daily living, advice on aids and instruction in joint protection measures.