Episodes

  • Airing Pain 146: Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    This edition of Airing Pain focuses on two conditions affecting the gut: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Both affect the digestive system, and both cause pain. In this episode we learn about what separates these outwardly similar sounding conditions, how they are diagnosed, and what treatments might be available.

    Dr David Bulmer discusses the key differences and distinguishing features of IBS and IBD, the latest research into these conditions, and potential medicinal treatments for managing the pain they cause.
    Professor Rona Moss-Morris sheds light on remission, pain, and symptom management for IBS and IBD, and the challenges these conditions present. We hear about research into the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies designed specifically to help manage IBS and IBD symptoms.
    The interviews were recorded at the British Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, 2024.
    Contributors:
    Dr David Bulmer, Associate Professor at Cambridge University, specialising in visceral pain and gastrointestinal disease, with a special interest in IBS, IBD, and pain.
    Prof. Rona Moss-Morris, Professor of Psychology as Applied to Medicine and Head of the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King’s College London. Lead for Digital Therapies at the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre. She has a special interest in factors that affect symptom experience and adjusting to chronic medical conditions.
    Time Stamps:
    01:29 Paul Evans introduces Dr David Bulmer, Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology at Cambridge University.
    01:46 Dr David Bulmer explains the difference between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease and how they are diagnosed.
    02:50 Bulmer discusses research into the potential causes of IBS and IBD, including localised allergic response and potential genetic markers.
    06:18 Bulmer describes a study into the use of antidepressants for the treatment of IBS.
    07:29 Bulmer discusses new treatments for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and how far these impact the actual pain experienced.
    12:17 Bulmer explains the ‘Low FODMAP’ diet treatment.
    14:17 Evans introduces Professor Rona Moss-Morris, Professor of Psychology as Applied to Medicine and Head of the Department of Psychology at King’s College London.
    14:22 Moss-Morris explains the term ‘remission’ and how it is applied to IBS and IBD.
    16:33 Moss-Morris discusses clinical trials using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for those with IBS and IBD symptoms.
    18:53 Moss-Morris explains what CBT is and how it is used.
    23:16 Moss-Morris discusses the use of apps and digital approaches to treatment.
    27:55 Moss-Morris gives a final message on pain.


    If you have any feedback about Airing Pain, you can leave us a review via our Airing Pain survey

  • Coming 9th October: This edition of Airing Pain focuses on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) – two outwardly similar sounding conditions, but the devil is in the details.
    Our contributors are experts on visceral pain, gastrointestinal disease, and psychological factors affecting chronic conditions; find out what they have to say in the latest edition of Airing Pain, coming soon.
    The interviews were recorded at the British Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, 2024.
    Contributors:
    Dr David Bulmer, Associate Professor at Cambridge University, specialising in visceral pain and gastrointestinal disease, with a special interest in IBS, IBD, and pain.
    Prof. Rona Moss-Morris, Professor of Psychology as Applied to Medicine and Head of the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King’s College London. Lead for Digital Therapies at the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre. She has a special in interest factors that affect symptom experience and adjusting to chronic medical conditions.


    If you have any feedback about Airing Pain, you can leave us a review via our Airing Pain survey

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  • Airing Pain 145 Rethinking Pain: Pain Management in the Community

    This edition of Airing Pain centres on rethinking the traditional clinician-patient relationship in pain management and exploring alternative approaches to bringing pain management back into the community.
    Dr Barbara Phipps, GP and Lifestyle Medicine expert, discusses the development and benefits of group consultations for pain management.
    Dr Jackie Walumbe sheds light on the pervasive inequalities in chronic pain services, highlighting the value of communities and member-led collaboratives in building and shaping self-management.
    Prof. Mark Johnson, Dr Kate Thompson, and Kerry Page talk through the benefits of de-medicalising pain management, shifting the focus to a community setting.
    We hear about the fantastic work of Rethinking Pain, a community-based pain support service in Bradford and Craven, and the inspiration this can serve for future chronic pain services and self-management initiatives.
    The interviews were recorded at the British Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, 2024.
    Contributors:
    Dr Barbara Phipps, Practising NHS GP and Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, currently running a community based Chronic Pain management service within the NHS. Barbara has a special interest in Lifestyle Medicine, and is a trustee of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
    Dr Jackie Walumbe, Clinical Academic Advance Practice Physiotherapist in the Complex Pain Team at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Research Fellow at University of Oxford.
    Professor Mark Johnson, Professor of Pain and Analgesia and Director of the Leeds Beckett Pain Team (Centre for Pain Research) at Leeds Beckett University.
    Dr Kate Thompson, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Leeds Beckett University, with a background in physiotherapy and special interest in pain research.
    Kerry Page, Programme Lead for Rethinking Pain, the chronic pain community service based in Bradford District and Craven.

    Time Stamps:
    01:58 Paul introduces Dr Barbara Phipps, Practising NHS GP and Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, currently running a community based Chronic Pain management service within the NHS. Barbara has a special interest in Lifestyle Medicine, is and is a trustee of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
    02:27 Dr Barbara Phipps discusses the development of group consultations for people with long-term primary pain.
    07:28 Paul and Barbara discuss the importance of people being believed about their pain, perception of pain experiences, and detection on functional MRI scans.
    10:41 Paul draws upon issues the funding in pain management services and who decides whether a treatment programme is value for money or not.
    10:53 Paul introduces Dr Jackie Walumbe, Clinical Academic Advance Practice Physiotherapist in the Complex Pain Team at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Research Fellow at University of Oxford.
    11:04 Dr Jackie Walumbe discusses her research on understanding how the term and practice of Self-Management is understood and acted on by people living with chronic pain, particularly those who don’t have ongoing contact or access with specialist pain services, and the relationship between this and policy makers’ decisions.
    14:42 Paul and Jackie discuss key findings regarding issues of inequality, and a report by Versus Arthritis (Unseen, Unequal and Unfair: Chronic Pain in England), reflecting issues of policy and politics and the importance of other communities in filling the gaps.
    18:09 Paul introduces Rethinking Pain, a community-based service for adults living with long-term pain, in Bradford District and Craven.
    18:28 Paul introduces Dr Mark Johnson, Professor of Pain and Analgesia and Director of the Leeds Beckett Pain Team (Centre for Pain Research) at Leeds Beckett University.
    18:37 Paul introduces Dr Kate Thompson, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Leeds Beckett University, with a background in physiotherapy and special interest in pain research.
    18:40 Paul introduces Kerry Page, Programme Lead for Rethinking Pain, the chronic pain community service based in Bradford District and Craven.
    18:47 Kerry Page discusses the Rethinking Pain service, its background, services, and success.
    19:57 Dr Kate Thompson explains how Rethinking Pain’s approach differs from other community pain management programmes
    20:58 Dr Mark Johnson talks about how pain is a context driven experience, and the importance of understanding how the narrative matters when it comes to managing pain.
    25:49 Kerry Page recalls the importance of giving time to listen to the pain community and those living with chronic pain, and the way that Rethinking Pain’s initiative provides this through Health Coaches.
    35:53 Kerry page discusses how pain management services can help to reach more people and connect people and organisations from across the pain community.

    Additional Resources:
    Rethinking Pain

    Inequalities in Chronic Pain Report - Versus Arthritis

    If you have any feedback about Airing Pain, you can leave us a review via our Airing Pain survey

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  • Coming 14th August: This edition of Airing Pain centres on rethinking the traditional clinician-patient relationship in pain management and exploring alternative approaches to bringing pain management back into the community.
    Is the 1-to-1 doctor-patient consultation the best we can do? How can we help people to feel more empowered in managing their own pain? Our contributors are experts in pain management, research, and community engagement; find out what they have to say in the latest edition of Airing Pain, coming soon.
    The interviews were recorded at the British Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, 2024.

    Contributors:
    Dr Barbara Phipps, Practising NHS GP and Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, currently running a community based Chronic Pain management service within the NHS. Barbara has a special interest in Lifestyle Medicine, and is a trustee of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
    Dr Jackie Walumbe, Clinical Academic Advance Practice Physiotherapist in the Complex Pain Team at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Research Fellow at University of Oxford.
    Professor Mark Johnson, Professor of Pain and Analgesia and Director of the Leeds Beckett Pain Team (Centre for Pain Research) at Leeds Beckett University.
    Dr Kate Thompson, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Leeds Beckett University, with a background in physiotherapy and special interest in pain research.
    Kerry Page, Programme Lead for Rethinking Pain, the chronic pain community service based in Bradford District and Craven.

    If you have any feedback about Airing Pain, you can leave us a review via our Airing Pain survey

  • Airing Pain 144: Dilemmas in Pain Research

    This episode of Airing Pain focuses on the challenges that researchers must overcome when researching pain and developing new treatment approaches. Many questions remain unanswered in the field of pain research. For example, we might know that a treatment works for some people living with pain, but we might not know how it works or why some people benefit and some do not.
    So, there is a lot of research being done to try to better understand pain. This leads to another problem: how to cope with the amount of new information emerging from research and trials? It is important that new research data is made more accessible for clinicians, healthcare workers, patients, and researchers. Data is no use unless it can be assessed and summarized so that doctors can understand how to use it to benefit their patients.
    Our contributors for this edition are leaders in this field and they discuss some of the issues they have encountered whilst conducting their research into pain and how to treat it.
    The interviews were recorded at the British Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, 2023.

    Contributors:
    Professor Robert Brownstone, Brain Research UK Chair of Neurosurgery, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
    Dr Neil O'Connell, Reader in Physiotherapy, Brunel University, Chair of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Methods, Evidence Synthesis and Implementation Special Interest Group. He is an advisor to Pain Concern.
    Dr Kirsty Bannister, Neuroscientist and Associate Professor at King’s College London.
    Time Stamps:
    1:22 Paul introduces Professor Robert Brownstone, Brain Research UK Chair of Neurosurgery at University College London.
    1:32 Prof. Brownstone explains what a spinal cord stimulator is, the lack of progress made with this form of treatment, the varied results the treatment gets, and why some people experience long-term pain following back surgery.
    7:40 Paul talks about Cochrane, a global independent network of health practitioners, researchers, and patient advocates who review research findings to provide a more precise estimate of the effects of a treatment.
    7:54 Paul introduces Dr Neil O’Connell, a Reader at Brunel University who was the Co-ordinating editor of the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care (PaPaS) group.
    8:35 Dr O’Connell discusses how Cochrane reviews research and clinical trials, and the complexities involved in gathering and interpreting evidence when developing interventions.
    17:04 Paul introduces Dr Kirsty Bannister, a neuroscientist and Associate Professor at King’s College London who specialises in neuropharmacology and runs a research group that uses animals to examine the mechanisms of pain processing.
    17:22 Dr Bannister talks about why animal models are useful for researching the responses people may have to different pain processes and researching chronic pain by measuring neuronal responses to pain.
    21:44 Paul and Dr Bannister discuss the limitations of using animals to research chronic pain.
    23:48 Paul and Dr Bannister explore why looking at a patient's experience of pain first can better inform lab research on animal models for understanding and researching pain.
    30:03 Prof. Brownstone gives some advice for those considering a spinal cord stimulator as an intervention they want to try.

    Additional Resources:
    Cochrane

    Pain Matters 73: Neuropathic pain issue

    Pain Matters 79: Navigating pathways to live well with pain

    Pain Matters 80: What treatment really works

    Neuropathic Pain


    If you have any feedback about Airing Pain, you can leave us a review via our Airing Pain survey

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  • Coming 12 June: This edition of Airing Pain focuses on the dilemmas and roadblocks that researchers encounter when researching pain and developing interventions, how they may overcome them, and why systematic reviews of research are so important.

    Our contributors for this edition are leaders in this field and they discuss some of the issues they have encountered whilst conducting their research into pain and how to treat it.

    Interviews in this edition were recorded at the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting.

    Contributors:

    Professor Robert Brownstone is a Professor and Head of Neurosurgery at University College London.

    Dr Neil O’Connell is a Reader in the Physiotherapy Division of the Department of Health Sciences at Brunel University London. He is also a member of Cochrane's central editorial board.

    Dr Kirsty Bannister is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience/Neuropharmacology at King’s College London.

  • This edition of Airing Pain focuses on the treatment of pain, the importance of catering treatment to a person’s individual genetic makeup, and why addressing the psychological dimensions of pain is crucial in treating it effectively.

    The process of finding a medication or treatment that works for a person often involves a lot of trial and error, which can be a frustrating process for someone to go through. This process can be side-stepped through the use of personalised medicine, where information about a person’s genetic makeup is used to tailor and optimise their treatment so it is as effective as possible.

    Although medication is oftentimes a vital part of treating pain, incorporating psychological treatment alongside medication can be hugely beneficial when it comes to making pain management better for those living with acute or chronic pain. Changing how someone thinks about pain can enhance their response to the physical components of the treatment they receive.

    Our contributors for this edition discuss the ways in which the treatment of pain can be made more effective for people by incorporating personalised medicine or psychological treatments into a person’s care plan. Please leave us a review on this platform or give feedback via our Airing Pain survey.

    Contributors:
    Professor Tony Dickenson, Professor of Neuropharmacology at University College London.

    Dr. Beth Darnall, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Director, Stanford Pain Relief Innovations Lab.

    Professor Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and a Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

    Read transcript

    Thanks:
    This edition of was made possible thanks to funding from the Guy Fawkes Charitable Trust and support from the British Pain Society.

    Time Stamps:
    1:11 Paul introduces Professor Tony Dickenson,who he spoke to at the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2022.

    3:21 Professor Tony Dickenson discusses ‘precision medicine’, ‘personalised medicine’, and how looking at peoples' genetic makeup can help medical professionals treat pain more effectively.

    14:21 Paul introduces Dr Beth Darnall, who he spoke to at the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2023.

    14:54 Dr Beth Darnall explains the psychological components of how people experience pain.

    20:24 Paul introduces Professor Irene Tracy, who he spoke to at the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2023.

    20:57 Dr Irene Tracy discusses the work she's done on neuroimaging and how the human brain constructs the experience of pain.

    23:22 Paul and Dr Tracy talk about what neuroimaging tells us about the multidimensional way the human brain reacts to pain.

    26:06 Beginning of discussion about Empowered Relief, a psychology-based intervention that provides people with skills and tools to help manage their acute or chronic pain.

    26:31 Dr Beth Darnall discusses the psychological side of treating pain and how empowered relief is used to help people manage their pain.

    29:10 Dr Beth Darnall talks about the psychological tools people learn through Empowered Relief and how they help with pain management.

    Additional Resources:
    Airing Pain 100: Glasgow Pain Education Sessions
    Empowered Relief
    Pain Matters 80: What treatment really works

  • Coming 10 April: This edition of Airing Pain focuses on the treatment of pain, the importance of catering treatment to a person’s individual genetic makeup, and why addressing the psychological dimensions of pain is crucial in treating it effectively.

    Our contributors for this edition discuss the ways in which the treatment of pain can be made more effective for people by incorporating personalised medicine or psychological treatments into a person’s care plan.

    This edition will be funded by the Guy Fawkes Charitable Trust and was created with support from the British Pain Society.

    Contributors:

    Professor Tony Dickenson, Professor of Neuropharmacology at University College London
    Dr. Beth Darnall, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Director, Stanford Pain Relief Innovations Lab.
    Professor Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and a Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

  • Pain Concern would like to remind listeners that the topic of chronic pain can be uncomfortable for those with lived experience of chronic pain. Please read the description for information about this edition's content.

    In a 2020 US study, it was found that ‘Implicit bias remains a contributor to healthcare disparities.’ This can be based on gender, ethnicity, disability or locality, and has the potential to affect somebody no matter their background.

    In Airing Pain 142, we begin with specific references to disparities in Musculoskeletal (MSK) treatment, and how we can learn from other healthcare fields to increase patient satisfaction; we then focus on how both internal and external stigma can lead to discrimination in treatment; before ending with a discussion about why ethnic minorities are being inadvertently discriminated against in the pain management setting.

    If you enjoyed this episode of Airing Pain, why not subscribe? You can also leave us a review via our Airing Pain survey

    Read Transcript

    Contributors:
    Professor Jonathan Hill is the Director of Research for the School of Allied Health Professionals, and a Professor of Physiotherapy, in the Keele School of Medicine.

    Dr Ama Kissi is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ghent and a Clinical Psychologist.

    Dr Whitney Scott is a clinical psychologist who lectures at Kings College London and is the research lead at the INPUT Pain Management Unit at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital.

    Time Stamps:
    1:30: Professor Jonathan Hill speaks about the disparities in musculoskeletal pain treatment in primary care.

    6:04: Sharing their experiences and research, Paul and Jonathan discuss the differences between Pain Management and Diabetes care.

    9:59: Jonathan Hill highlights the importance of differentiating between people accessing pain management care frequently and infrequently.

    15:26: Jonathan Hill alludes to the ‘Restore’ trial in Australia, and the success of integrating physiotherapists into the pain management care system.

    18:44: Dr Whitney Scott talks about the stigma and discrimination of people living with pain.

    24:44: Whitney Scott discusses the way that health care professionals can work with people in pain who feel stigmatised.

    26:01: Paul and Dr Ama Kissi discuss the disparities in pain management for different ethnicities and hypothesise why this might be the case.

    31:17: Ama Kissi shares her own experiences as a black woman in the healthcare environment - this segment discussed childbirth.

    Thanks:
    This edition of Airing Pain was possible thanks to support from the British Pain Society

    If you’re looking for more information and support on managing pain visit painconcern.org.uk.

    Additional Resources:
    Pain Matters 84 - This magazine issue focuses on inequalities in public health.
    Stigma and Pain Management - US Department of Health and Human Services.
    ‘Stigma and Chronic Pain’ - A research article published in ‘Pain and Therapy’.
    Further information on the Restore Trial

  • This edition of Airing Pain sheds light on the unique challenges of living with cancer as a child or young adult, and the later impacts of the cancer treatment they underwent during the critical formative years. Airing Pain speaks to experts on the longitudinal impacts of cancer for these age groups; across medical, physical, and psychosocial.

    Pain and fatigue are commonly reported as the most significant negative impact on quality of life when living with cancer. Until quite recently there has been little research in the area of living with cancer and experiencing medical treatments for cancer as a child or young adult during the critical formative years, and even less so on the long-term impacts these treatments can have throughout later adulthood.

    Our contributors discuss a variety of determinants that impact long-term effects such as type of treatment, type of cancer, their personal resilience, and their family and social support networks. We also hear of the opportunities in improving cancer care for these age groups, particularly with the difficult transition from child to adult care units.

    Contributors:

    - Emeritus Professor Sam Ahmedzai, NIHR National Specialty Lead for Cancer

    - Professor Diana Greenfield, Senior Consultant Nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust

    - Ceinwen Giles, Co-CEO, Shine Cancer Support

    Time Stamps:

    0:50 Paul introducing Emeritus Professor Sam Ahmedzai, an internationally recognised pioneer in setting up palliative medicine. 2022 British Pain Society interview.

    2:53 Discussion around later hormonal effects of some successful treatments used to eradicate and manage cancer in children and teenagers.

    5:54 Professor Diana Greenfield, Senior Consultant Nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, NHS, on the transition between paediatric to adult cancer care.

    13:18 The importance of family-centred care. Defined as a house or unit of care that can be traditional or non-traditional but represents a holistic support network.

    18:00 Ceinwen Giles, Co-CEO, Shine Cancer Support, working to provide support for people in their 20s 30s and 40s who have lived with cancer and chronic cancer.

    19:00 Ceinwin Giles talking on her personal experience of receiving treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and challenges in finding peers her own age who share her experiences.

    21:54 Managing early-life considerations alongside cancer. Career uncertainty, mental health in jobs, as well as fertility, relationships, and dating.

    23:00 The difficult transition from child to adult care, in terms of having fewer people and services supporting as an adult. There are opportunities to improve the easing of this transition, especially following the pandemic where services are stretched.

    25:20 Invitation to respond to the Airing Pain survey.

    26:02 Summary of the key take home messages for children and young adults, and those caring for them.

    Additional Resources:

    Airing Pain 140: Childhood Pain - Adverse Experiences and Parental RelationshipsShine Cancer SupportFamilies and Children Resource Page Airing Pain 118: Pain Management in Young People

  • This edition of Airing Pain is on the topic of early childhood experiences.
    (Content warning: includes abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction)
    The World Health Organisation states that ‘adverse childhood experiences (ACE) can have lifelong consequences on a person’s health, and well-being, and can lead to a person developing persistent pain in later life’. A lot of this research is conducted in adults, and of course with changes in attitudes and beliefs surrounding raising children over the years, would they consider events in their childhood to be adverse?
    Listen to learn more about this complex discussion. Find out how this kind of trauma in formative years impacts neurobiologically on the stress response, and causes changes on a structural and functional level in the brain that can predispose young people not only to pain but depression, cardiovascular disease, behaviours with increased health risks, and can have impact on mortality.
    Contributors: Dr Katie Birnie, Clinical Psychologist at the University of Calgary, on the importance of validating pain in young people. Professor Lesley Colvin, Project Lead at Consortium Against Pain InEquality (CAPE) and Professor of Pain Medicine at the University of Dundee, and consultant in pain services. Jen Ford, DRAP Pain Physio & Therapy Lead at Bath Centre for Pain Services & Bristol Paediatric Pain Professor Lesley Colvin, Project Lead at Consortium Against Pain InEquality (CAPE) and Professor of Pain Medicine at the University of Dundee, and consultant in pain services. Professor Tim Hales, Project Lead at CAPE and a non-clinical Professor of anaethesia at the University of Dundee. Dr Lauren Heathcote, Senior Lecturer in health psychology at Kings College London
    Timestamps
    2:06 Prof Tim Hales discusses the impact on ACE on chronic pain and how people respond to treatment.
    7:02 Prof Lesley Colvin Professor on how ACE causes persistent pain.
    16:05 Dr Lauren Heathcote discusses the psychology of pain and symptom perception in young people.
    23:26 Jen Ford on the different approach required when working with children.
    26:05 Dr. Katie Bernie explore the importance of children and family partnerships.

    Related links
    CAPE Consortium Against Pain InEquality

    Health Scotland – Adverse Childhood Experiences

    TED talk: Carol Dwerk – The Power of Believing you can improve

    Bath Centre for Pain Services

    Airing Pain survey

    Pain Concern Children and Families resources

  • This edition of Airing Pain was recorded at the Living Well with Persistent Pain in Wales conference during Pain Awareness Month in September 2023. The topic of the conference was the launch of the revised Persistent Pain guidance first published in 2019.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live and access services. How are healthcare professionals who treat patients with persistent pain capitalising on this improved digital literacy by using a digital-first approach to improve the patient experience at their clinics? With the aim of this year's conference being to see the person and not the symptoms, how can the patient's voice be heard and kept central to ensure this is done? And finally, how can the Third Sector and the NHS work more cohesively to work towards this goal? Listen or read the transcript to find out more.

    Contributors
    Bethany Davies Health care support worker, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
    Gethin Harries, Physiotherapist, Powys Health Board (Powys Living Well Service).
    Eluned Morgan MS, Health Minister
    Owen Hughes National Clinical Lead for Persistent Pain in Wales
    Stephen Allan, Regional Director New Citizen’s Voice Body for Wales
    Dr Sue Jeffs, National Clinical Lead for Persistent Pain Patient organisation representatives
    Mary Cowern Head of Nation for Cymru Versus Arthritis
    Heather Wallace, Pain Concern

    Representatives of other organisations present at the event, including Health Education for Improvement Wales, Real City Strategy North Wales, Cardiff and Vales University Health Board and Case UK Ltd.

    Read Transcript Feedback survey

    Timestamps
    0:35 Eluned Morgan MS welcomes delegates to the launch of the revised Living With Persistent Pain in Wales guidelines.
    3:04 Owen Hughes explains the updates to the guidelines.
    6:04 Eluned Morgan MS on the feedback received regarding the guidence and how it can continue to evolve.
    6:35 Representatives from Real City Strategy North Wales and Powys Living Well Service discuss how those living with pain can be supported.
    12:48 Eluned Morgan MS and a representative from Cardiff and Vales University Health Board talk about self-management and peer support groups.
    23:59 Mary Cowern, Neil Fowler and Bethany Davies on how the guidelines will impact their organisations.
    37:39 Eluned Morgan MS on the need to reduce ineffective treatments.
    38:35 Information on upskilling for healthcare professionals from Catrin from Health Education and Improvement Wales.
    40:38 The Patient Voice – Stephen Allan, Eluned Morgan MS and Dr Sue Jeffs on the importance of patients informing on the services available.
    48:11 Heather Wallace reflects on the event and a final request about person-centred care from Eluned Morgan MS.

    Additional Resources Living with Persistent Pain in Wale Guidance eppcymru.org All Wales Analgesic Stewardship Guidance CaseUKVersus ArthritisAiring Pain 109 Fibromyalgia Airing Pain 121: Living with Persistent Pain in Wales Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

  • Is self-compassion a trait or a state of being? This edition is inspired by findings that suggest stronger self-compassion is associated with reduced impact of chronic pain.

    Self-compassion, in this sense, is the ability to respond to pain and difficulties with kindness and openness rather than criticism. In this episode we ask our artistic contributors, and ourselves, how to step towards achieving self-compassion and the importance of movement in looking after our bodies.

    This edition of Airing Pain was made possible by the invaluable contributions of our participating artists who showcased their works at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and those in the academic field. We learn the motives behind using dance as a way of supporting those in pain, but also expressing and communicating pain to audiences.

    Contributors:
    Dr Sarah Hopfinger, Artist and Researcher (Edinburgh Fringe: “Pain and I”)
    Victoria Abbott-Fleming MBE, Founder of the Burning Nights CRPS
    Dr Emma Meehan, Associate Professor, Centre for Dance Research, Coventry University
    Tali Foxworthy Bowers, Choreographer and Movement Director (Edinburgh Fringe: “Monoslogue”)
    Jenna Gillett, PhD Student, Department of Psychology University of Warwick

    The music used at the beginning of this edition was an original composition for Pain & I by Alicia Jane Turner.
    Images provided by Sarah Hopfinger.

    Read transcript

    Time Stamps:
    1:35 – Miriam Introduces Sarah Hopfinger’s “Pain and I” performance during Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, and asks what techniques from the world of dance offer those living with pain?
    3:41 – Pacing as a technique. Also see 13:25 for Sarah Hopfinger on pacing.
    6:34 – Emma Meehan, at the British Pain Society, on how dancers living with pain approach pain.
    8:34 – Introducing Tali Foxworthy-Bowers
    15:54 – A huge thank you, and invitation, for filling in our survey
    16:20 – Emma Meehan and research into what somatic practices in movement can offer those living with pain.
    18:20 – The importance of sharing and telling stories about pain experiences as an act of self-compassion for performers, and mutual connection. See also 25:53 for a continuation of this sentiment from Tali Foxworthy Bowers.
    21:25 – Pain catastrophising, how we frame pain, and techniques for being kinder to ourselves with self-love and compassion.
    27:54 – Suggestions of how to support those close to you who are living with pain.
    31:34 – Emma Meehan discussing agency with pain, as showcased at the British Pain Society ASM 2023.
    35:10 – The role of charities in patient support, and what else can charities be doing?
    37:27 – Chronic pain is chronic strength: acceptance of pain as part of the bodies we love and care for.

    Additional Resources:
    Burning nights
    NHS Resources
    Somatic Practice
    Dr Meehan's Book: Performing Process

  • This edition of Airing Pain was prompted by the 2022 NICE Guidelines which followed a Public Health England report (2019) looking at medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal.

    Read transcript

    This new legislation follows increased concerns in high levels of prescribing.

    This edition discusses the challenges and opportunities of de-prescribing; and poses a shift in focus towards supported self-management and de-medicalising the management of pain for some patients. By this we mean the exploration of alternative therapies and supported self-care customised to individual needs, which come hand-in-hand with any de-prescribing of medicines.

    We discuss the incredibly important role of the advanced pharmacist practitioner in adjusting the prescriptions of medicine, and the long-term regular use of pharmacists for these purposes.

    Contributors:
    Dr Emma Davies, Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner specialising in Pain Management
    Dr Keith Mitchell, Consultant in Pain Medicine at the Royal Cornwall Hospital
    Dr Jim Huddy, GP and Clinical Lead for Chronic Pain

    This edition of Airing Pain was possible thanks to support from the British Pain Society.

    Time Stamps:
    0:49 – Paul introducing the topic NICE Guidelines 2022, following from a Public Health England report 2019 looking at medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal.

    1:38 – Introducing Dr Emma Davies; advanced pharmacist practitioner in pain management, Co-Founder to Living Well With Pain, prescribing for chronic pain, and involved in setting NICE guidelines.

    6:23 – The problem: knowing the medicines may be harmful but a lack of correct support in place for other ways of living with pain. Reducing this type of medicine must come hand-in-hand with proper support to living well with pain.

    7:24 – What does support look like? Alternative therapies and support based on their personalised circumstances.

    9:15 – Talk from the Patient Group at the British Pain Society on intersectional problems and barriers to accessing care particularly for socially minoritized individuals and groups.

    13:28 – Introducing the educational resources Pain Consultants Dr Keith Mitchell and Dr Jim Huddy, at Royal Cornwall Hospital, have put together for prescribers.

    14:12 – Introducing Dr Frances Cole’s 10 footstep model to pain management as another possible alternative to prescribing.

    16:26 – Social prescribers and upskilling non-clinicians to provide support.

    17:27 – Discussion on how to pose non-medical supported self-management to patients, in place of medicalised support.

    17:49 – Explaining the Pain Café in Cornwall

    20:00 – Invitation to fill in our survey

    20:45 – Advanced pharmacist practitioner, Dr Emma Davis, on the diverse and essential roles pharmacists play in pain management.

    21:40 – Introducing the ‘medication review’.

    28:48 – The ‘healing power of a good book’: escapism techniques.

    More Information:
    Referenced Edition 123: Dr Jim Huddy Royal Cornwall Hospital, in ‘Opioids and Chronic Pain’
    The Pain Café in Cornwall
    Imagine If – Social Prescribing Team
    NICE Guidelines (2022) ‘Medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms’
    Living Well with Pain – Ten Footsteps Programme

  • What’s around the corner? This edition of Airing Pain platforms four internationally recognised clinicians from the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting

    Recently healthcare technology and innovation has seen a rapid acceleration, particularly following disruption caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. In this edition we look around the corner and examine the most current technological advances for pain therapy, especially those that can be used with or even in replacement of conventional medical treatments.

    The Airing Pain team attended the British Pain Society ASM in 2022, to listen and interview top thought-leaders on pain technology advancements and the projects they are working on. Hear them introduce their specialist areas of: new scientific evidence for fibromyalgia; neuropathic pain in the form of phantom limb and post-surgery back pain; and cutting-edge developments in neuromodulation techniques, specifically non-invasive Virtual Reality and Gaming for treating neurological distortions.

    Contributors: Dr Stephen Ward, Chair of Scientific Committee, St Thomas Hospital London Dr Simon Thomson, Consultant, Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation, Mid and South Essex University Hospitals NHS Trust Dr Owen Williamson, Pain Medicine Specialist, School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University Vancouver British Columbia Dr Timothy Deer, Interventional Pain Doctor West Virginia and President of The Spine and Nerve Centers Time Stamps:
    0:20 – Introductory quotes of internationally recognised Clinicians from the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM).
    1:24 - Introduction by Paul Evans to British Pain Society ASM attendance.
    1:58 - Dr Stephen Ward, Chair of Scientific Committee, St Thomas Hospital London, on emerging scientific evidence for the study of Fibromyalgia.
    5:16 - Dr Simon Thomson, Consultant, Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation, Mid and South Essex University Hospitals NHS Trust introducing the basics of neuromodulation and neuropathic pain, using secondary back pain as an example.
    11:10 – Dr Simon Thomson on the process of Spinal Cord stimulation and equipment.
    18:33 - Dr Owen Williamson, Pain Medicine Specialist, School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University Vancouver British Columbia, on virtual reality (VR) for chronic pain treatment, particularly the uses of VR for painful distortions.
    25:05 – Dr Owen Williamson on his talk titled ‘Modifying the Matrix: Virtual Reality’ at the British Pain Society ASM.
    30:22 – Dr Owen Williamson on potential drawbacks to using VR Therapy. Followed by a discussion of mitigation techniques; artificial intelligence and body sensors for patient-monitoring in virtual environments.
    32:56 - Invitation to fill out our Online Survey
    32:42 – Introducing Dr Timothy Deer, Interventional Pain Doctor West Virginia and President of The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias on the future of personalised management and remote home programming to benefit those living with chronic pain.
    39:08 - Dr Owen Williamson discussing the optimistic yet cautionary future of virtual reality and wider emerging technologies for pain therapy; the importance of preserving empathy as typically found in the doctor-patient relationship.

    Special Thanks:
    This edition of Airing Pain was possible thanks to support from the British Pain Society.

    More Information:
    Airing Pain 61: Deciding Together
    Pain Matters 73: Neuropathic Pain Issue
    Manage Your Pain leaflet
    Chronic Pain and Health Inequalities

  • This edition of Airing Pain examines how Covid-19 has impacted on the relationship between patient and healthcare professional.

    In the two or so years of living with Covid-19, the face-to-face relationship between doctors and patients was one of the first casualties. With restrictions relaxed, have we returned to the status quo, or has what was developed at breakneck speed led to new working practices?

    In 2019, just months before Covid-19 became part of our lives, a workshop, ‘Experts by Experience – Working Together in Pain Management Programmes’ explored an innovative approach to pain management in which patients became integral members within the clinical pain team. Has this relationship survived social isolation and lockdowns?

    Contributors include Consultant in Pain Medicine with the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Cathy Price and Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Nick Ambler of the North Bristol NHS Trust, and people living with chronic pain.

    Read transcript

    Issues covered in this programme include:
    COVID, self-management of long-term conditions, peer support, communicating pain, community healthcare, patient volunteer, support group, training course, volunteering and workshops.

    Time Stamps:

    1:15 – Dr Cathy Price on delivery rapidly changing from face-to-face to online, having to prioritise vital healthcare, and what didn’t work remotely.
    6:00 – Dr Cathy Price on the barriers the technology can create.
    7:05 – Paul Evans recaps Airing Pain 119 Experts By Experience: Working Together In Pain Management Programmes
    10:10 – Dr Nick Ambler talks on the Experts by Experience: Working Together In Pain Management Programmes Workshop.
    14:12 – Nick on the service user involvement in delivering Pain Management Programmes and what it means for health professionals.
    17:00 – Paul ask Nick how a GP could approach a repeat consultation about pain to create a productive outcome.
    19:55 – How the Covid pandemic impacted the work of pain clinics.
    22:25 – Paul questions whether post-pandemic approaches to healthcare will revert.
    27:00 – Cathy Price on the positive outcomes of working during a pandemic.
    28:00 – Nick Ambler on the impact of patients being part of the team.
    30:00 – Primrose Granville on her pain management programme experience.

    Contributors: Dr Cathy Price, Consultant in Pain Medicine with the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust Dr Nick Ambler of the North Bristol NHS Trust Patient-volunteer Primrose Granville, and other people living with chronic pain. Special Thanks:
    This edition of Airing Pain was supported by the British Pain Society and funded by grants from the James Weir Foundation, the Hospital Saturday Fund and the Erskine Cunningham Hill Trust.

    More Information:
    Pain Matters 78: managing pain during the coronavirus pandemic Airing Pain #119 Experts by experience Working Together In Pain Management Programmes Airing Pain 133: How Group Consultations Can Help Long COVID And Other Conditions


  • What is mental defeat and does it have an impact on the experiences of those living with pain?

    In this edition of Airing Pain, Paul Evans interviews the team at the Warwick Study of Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain (WITHIN Project) and research participants, as well as taking part in the study as a participant himself.

    The study, which runs until May 2023, is investigating how mental defeat can influence pain sensation, sleep patterns, social activity, physical activity and the general health of individuals who have chronic pain.

    Mental defeat is defined as the perceived loss of autonomy in the face of uncontrollable, traumatic events. In the context of chronic pain this can be explained as a loss of identity and self in relation to repeated episodes of pain.

    Paul talks to the team about their experimental, lab-based study and the sleep-tracking survey, then undergoes the lab experiment himself. He discusses how he found it, the possible outcomes of the research and also interviews other participants.

    The WITHIN Project will generate information to help further understand the influence that mental defeat has on distress and disability in chronic pain patients. This is essential listening for anyone wanting to know more about the research process, or wanting to participate.

    Issues covered in this programme include: Mental defeat, pain research, insomnia, psychological effects of pain, chronic pain, patient perspective, acceptance and commitment therapy, research participation, pain thresholds.

    Time Stamps:
    0:25 Dr Nicole Tang, the Principal Investigator, discusses the definition of mental defeat.
    1:22 Explanation of the WITHIN Study of Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain.
    5:55 Jenna Gillett, PHD student and study researcher, on the relationship between pain and mental defeat.
    7:17 Jenna Gillett and Dr Nicole Tang explain the sleep tracker study.
    12:19 The impact of the COVID pandemic on the study – adaptations and the unexpected outcomes.
    14:00 Participant Lauren Pulsford describes her experience of taking part in the study.
    16:00 Producer Paul Evans meets Research Fellow Kristy Themelis to participate in the lab-based experiment.
    20:00 Dr Nicole Tang on the association between chronic pain and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
    21:00 Exploring what happens to those with chronic pain have a strong sense of mental defeat.
    22:00 Explanation of the longitudinal study – looking at sense of defeat, pain and activity over time.
    23:00 Jenna Gillett talks about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and its possible links with mental defeat.
    24:00 Back in the lab with Paul Evans and Kristy Themelis, measuring his pain pressure threshold.
    27:00 Paige Karadag, research assistant, explains the challenges of recruiting research participants online.
    31:30 Paul Evans and Kristy Themelis discuss the experiments that he participated in and how he found it.
    35:30 Paige Karadag and Jenna Gillett outline the criteria for research participants for the study, which will be running until May 2023.
    39:00 Participant Caroline Perry offers her take on why people should take part.

    Contributors: Dr Nicole Tang, Principal Investigator, WITHIN project, University of Warwick. Jenna Gillett, PHD student, WITHIN project, University of Warwick. Lauren Pulsford, research participant with lived experience of chronic pain. Paul Evans, research participant with lived experience of chronic pain. Dr Kristy Themelis, Research Fellow, WITHIN project, University of Warwick. Paige Karadag, Research Assistant, WITHIN project, University of Warwick. Caroline Perry, research participant with lived experience of chronic pain. Special Thanks to the WITHIN team at University of Warwick
    This edition of Airing Pain has been funded by grants from the Medical Research Council.

    More Information: Warwick Study of Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain Pain Concern Getting a good night’s sleep leaflet Pain Matters Magazine Airing Pain 119: Experts by Experience: Working together in pain management programmes

  • How the symptoms of long COVID are being managed using group consultations and the many things long COVID has in common with other long-term conditions.

    Now that COVID has become a part of our day-to-day lives, so too has long COVID. So, with so much money now being directed towards researching treatments for long COVID, how might this impact the way we treat all manner of chronic conditions?

    In this episode of Airing Pain, Paul Evans interviews the team at the Berkshire Pain Clinic, who run a specific long COVID service, on treating people with the condition. Notably, there are many similarities between the symptoms of long COVID and the symptoms of other long-term conditions, such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Issues like managing pain, fatigue, sleep and pacing are not only common in those with long COVID, but those with chronic illness in general. This raises the possibility that the money being spent now on long COVID may have a far wider reaching benefit in the long term.

    The team at the Berkshire Pain Clinic have already found success in using group consultations to manage long COVID. Listen, or read the transcript, to find out how these consultations are run and why they are proving so beneficial.

    Issues covered in this programme include:

    group consultations, long COVID, self-management of long-term conditions, fibromyalgia, fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, pacing, sleep problems, building support networks, managing mood problems and goal setting.

    Time Stamps:

    02:02 – Dr Deepak Ravindran explains how existing knowledge can help us to manage long COVID.
    08:22 – Dr Rupa Joshi explains how group consultations can provide support to those with long-term conditions.
    11:09 – how did group consultations start at the Berkshire Pain Clinic?
    13:50 – Dr Rupa Joshi discusses how both patients and healthcare professionals can learn from group consultations.
    14:17 – how do group consultations for long COVID differ from those for other health conditions?
    15:33 – Dr Deepak Ravindran on how our understanding of COVID and long COVID have changed.
    18:52 – Caroline Mole shares her experience of long COVID, pain and fatigue and how it has impacted her life.
    20:25 – Dr Deepak Ravindran shares how his experience of COVID gave him perspective on the experiences of his chronic pain patients.
    21:54 – how funding for long COVID can help those living with other long-term conditions.
    24:25 – Airing Pain producer Paul Evans shares his experience of fibromyalgia and how it has a lot in common with long COVID.
    26:04 – could the treatments we discover for long COVID be used for people with other conditions?
    27:13 – Caroline Mole explains what it was like to have a long COVID flare up and her struggles with fatigue.
    29:08 – Greg Scott on talking therapies and managing the mental health aspects of long COVID and other conditions.
    32:06 – Health and Wellbeing Coach Fatema Hafizji on empowering people with long-term conditions to achieve their goals.
    35:54 – Personal Trainer Kerry Doe explains how she supports people to return to exercise following COVID.
    40:38 – Saira Mirza on the role of the physiotherapist in managing long COVID and other conditions and the importance of breathing techniques.

    Contributors:

    Dr Deepak Ravindran, Clinical Lead for Pain Medicine and Clinical Lead for the Berkshire LongCOVID Integrated Service at Royal Berkshire HospitalDr Rupa Joshi, Managing Partner at Woodley Centre SurgeryCaroline Mole, who lives with long COVID and is a participant in the long COVID group consultation programme.Greg Scott, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist for ‘Talking Therapies‘ a psychological service of the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.Fetama Hafizji, Health and Wellbeing Coach for the Wokingham North Primary Care NetworkKerry Doe, a personal trainer who works with long COVID patients.Saira Mirza, Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner for long COVID and pain managementSpecial Thanks:

    This edition of Airing Pain has been funded by grants from the James Weir Foundation, the Hospital Saturday Fund and the Erskine Cunningham Hill Trust.

    More Information:

    Pain Matters 78: managing pain during the coronavirus pandemicAiring Pain 122: the many faces of research and fibromyalgiaLong term effects of coronavirus (long COVID)Deepak Ravindran Long COVID playlist – Youtube

  • How do you identify illness in young children and coping as a family.

    This Airing Pain was recorded at the Scottish Network for Arthritis in Children SNAC’s 2022 Family Weekend at Crieff Hydro, which brings together families recently affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis and some of the country’s leading paediatric rheumatology experts.

    Issues covered in this programme include:

    juvenile idiopathic arthritis, autoimmune disease, coping as a family, rheumatology, paediatrics, support networks, identifying illness in young children, movement and exercise

    Time Stamps:

    minutes: seconds

    00:00 - introduction to SNAC's family weekend by Sharon Douglas
    04:03 - introduction to juvenile idiopathic arthritis by Julie Duncan
    07:13 - how does juvenile idiopathic arthritis present?
    09:00 - what is SNAC and personal stories from a parent.
    12:56 - parent of a child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis shares how they first spotted it.
    14:42 - Vanessa Raimondo discusses medication options for juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
    18:44 - parents & children share their stories.
    21:33 - Vanessa Raimondo discusses medication side effects.
    23:57 - Alison Ross discusses coping mechanisms for juvenile idiopathic arthritis & more on medications and treatments.
    30:23 - parent of a child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis on her daughter's journey with JIA, medications and diagnosis.
    31:15 - coping as a parent of a child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
    31: 54 - coping with juvenile idiopathic arthritis as a family
    34: 29 - parents of a child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis share their family's story.
    39:10 - how does juvenile idiopathic arthritis make the children who suffer from it feel?
    41: 18 - family from Shetland share their story of having a child with JIA in a remote area.
    43:27 - Jo Walsh tells us about SPARN (Scottish Paediatric & Adolescent Rheumatology Network) and how they support families with JIA.
    47:00 - how to handle the transition from children's health services to young adult services.
    48:06 - Vanessa Raimondo tells us about what we can do (aside from medications) to manage JIA.
    49:27 - young person shares their experience of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and still enjoying sports, exercise and success growing older with JIA.
    54:20 - Sharon Douglas, chairperson and co-founder of SNAC, conclusion and raising awareness about JIA.

    Special Thanks:

    This programme exists due to funding from Trefoil House Organisational Grants, the New Park Educational Trust and WCH Trust for Children.

    Contributors:

    Parents (and their children) of 23 children between the ages of 5 and 14 who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Sharon Douglas - SNAC (Scottish Network for Arthritis in Children) chairperson & co-founder. Julie Duncan – General Paediatrician NHS Lothian District General Rheumatology Clinic. Vanessa Raimondo - Rheumatology Nurse based in Edinburgh. Alison Ross – Children’s Arthritis Nurse working in Aberdeen. Jo Walsh – Paediactric Rheumatologist based in Glasgow, working as part of SPARN (Scottish Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Network). More Information:

    SNAC - Supporting Children & Families with JIAVersus ArthritisSPARN - Scottish Paediatric & Adolescent Rheumatology NetworkAiring Pain 106 - Pain Education for Doctors, Patients and ParentsAiring Pain 99 - Transition Services for Adolescents with Chronic PainAiring Pain 78 - Putting Children's Pain in the PictureAiring Pain 59 - Pain in the Family: Young Adults 1 of 2Airing Pain 60 - Pain in the Family: Young Adults 2 of 2

  • What causes different types of face pain and what treatment is available?

    In this episode of Airing Pain we cover facial pain in its many forms, what treatments are available and how to cope better with your pain.

    Funded by The Hospital Saturday Fund.
    In collaboration with UCLH Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals.
    The way our face feels and how we move it is a massive part of our identity. Feeling pain in the face, or not being able to use your face the way you want to, is not only a physical burden on the person suffering, but a heavy psychological load to cope with as well.

    Issues covered in this programme include:
    facial pain, unnecessary dental treatments, tooth ache, face and identity, management techniques, trigeminal neuralgia, neuropathic pain, carbamazepine, neurosurgery, pain management programmes, psychology and pain, temporomandibular disorder, burning mouth syndrome, persistent idiopathic facial pain, central sensitisation syndrome, physiotherapy, acceptance & commitment therapy

    Time Stamps:

    01: 54 - Trigeminal neuralgia (TN): what is it and what does it feel like? Dr Joanna Zakrzewska explains.
    06:27 - Dr Zakrzewska discusses what treatments are available for TN, including carbamazepine.
    10:37 - How can neurosurgery help treat TN?
    18:11 - Psychology Pain Management Programmes (PMPs) for sufferers of TN.
    19:11 - Susie Holder on the psychological impact of face pain.
    21:36 - Dr Roddy McMillan discusses temporomandibular disorder (TMD) as a source of face pain.
    22:29 - Burning mouth syndrome and other types of face pain.
    25:50 - Treatments available for other types of face pain.
    28:30 - TMD and how it is different from other types of face pain (usually neuropathic in origin).
    30:00 - What is central sensitisation syndrome?
    32:21 - Pain management for chronic pain sufferers.
    36:05 - Susie Holder explains what acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is.
    44:07 - Obstacles to living well with pain, including the coronavirus pandemic.

    Contributors:

    Dr Joanna Zakrzewska, consultant in oral medicine specialising in trigeminal neuralgia at the Department or Oral Medicine and Facial Pain at the UCLH NHS Foundation Trust.Susie Holder, clinical psychologist on the facial pain team at the Royal ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust.Dr Roddy McMillan, consultant in oral medicine and facial pain at the Royal ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust.
    More Information:

    Pain Matters magazine issue 77: face the painAiring Pain 12: Trigeminal Neuralgia, Pelvic Pain & CannabisAiring Pain 115: Neuropathic pain 1 of 2, targeted Pain Management ProgrammesAiring Pain 116: Neuropathic pain 2 of 2, latest researchMy live well with painTrigeminal Neuralgia Association UK