Freek Weijers is a manual physiotherapist and co-owner of Melius Pain Care. Melius is a carefully chosen name and means “to be better” in Latin. Melius Pain care is a center with two different branches. It includes a clinic for invasive care with the Anesthesiologist- pain physician, and the paramedical branch, including the DAVID devices. Within this branch, the Pain Consultant, Manual Physiotherapist, Psychologist, Movement Educator and Pain Physician work together under one roof. Melius currently has three locations in the Netherlands and employs 23 healthcare professionals.

What does the treatment process at Melius Pain Care look like?

Freek: ”The holistic pathway for patients with musculoskeletal complaints combines invasive pain care, pain education and training. The most significant difference between regular rehabilitation pathways and a treatment pathway at Melius is the invasive pain care in the preliminary phase.  Through the pain treatment of the Anesthesiologist – Pain Physician, the patient’s load capacity is increased, the patient can control the body better, and this ultimately has a positive impact on the treatment result”.

How do patients respond to this holistic approach to pain care?

Freek: “Patients respond very positively to the holistic approach of our treatment pathways. They are no longer sent from pillar to post because all practitioners work together under one roof.

Healthcare in the Netherlands is quite fragmented. By removing the various partitions between healthcare disciplines and through our multidisciplinary consultations with the entire team of practitioners, we can join forces and help patients much more efficiently. This is an absolute added value for both the patient and the practitioner who wants to provide the best care for his or her patient”.

Why did you choose the DAVID Exercise Equipment?

Freek: ”That’s a fun and also exciting question! When I started working with the DAVID equipment in my previous job, I was very skeptical about isolated training on exercise equipment. However, when I saw the results and started to see the added value of testing for mobility and strength combined with patients’ enthusiasm, it completely changed my view on isolated training on the DAVID equipment. We use the DAVID machines as a regular part of basic training. Our patients are often anxious about moving and exercise, but the machines give the patient a sense of security. We use the equipment as exposure therapy, where we regularly test and measure to give patients confidence that despite their pain symptoms, mobility and strength of muscles around the spine are increasing. We also believe providing functional training to increase load capacity and promote general daily activities is essential.

Where will Melius Pain Care be in five years?

Freek: ”We are ambitious to become the best pain care clinic network in the Netherlands. We would like to have national coverage within five years”. Please feel free to visit the website.