The impact of AMPS on activities of daily living is what drives most patients to seek medical evaluation to begin with. Constant pain, poor sleep, resultant fatigue, decreased tolerance of physical activity, and change in mood can all significantly impact daily activities, social interactions, and school attendance. Once a diagnosis of AMPS has been made and the child is cleared to participate in normal activity, pursuit of appropriate recommended therapies and gradual (as tolerated) return to a normal schedule is recommended. For children requiring intensive treatment at a multidisciplinary center, return to normal function has been seen for 80% of patients within one month. Most patients, however, will not require this intensive intervention, in which case establishing your own multidisciplinary team of physical, occupational and mental health professionals is key. In addition to working to resume normal function, these specialists can teach your child tools and techniques to utilize when they feel pain coming on.
If your child is missing large amounts of school, work with your medical provider and the administration of your school to make sure that catch up material is provided and set up a plan for returning to a full day of school. Often, even if your child is not able to absorb every word that is being taught, going to school, interacting with friends and gradually building endurance is a key component of returning to school.
Lastly, it is important to recognize that the pain that your child is experiencing, while not dangerous, is very real. Validation of the pain is an important part of working to eliminate it and the child must recognize that he or she is an important part of the treatment team. With the appropriate intervention and work on their part, the vast majority of patients will do very well and resume a fully functional life with no pain. In studies conducted at inpatient AMPS treatment centers, 95% of patients felt significantly better, and only 5% saw no pain improvement. Overall significant relapses were infrequent with only 15% requiring retreatment. At 5 years post study, 90% of patients were doing well.