What is Persistent Pain?
Chronic or persistent pain refers to pain that lasts for more than 3 months, despite medication or treatment. Unlike acute pain, which serves as a warning sign of injury or illness, chronic pain persists after the initial cause has healed. Sometimes, pain can manifest without any history of an injury or operation.
Chronic/persistent pain can significantly impact your life, both physically and mentally. It can:
- Limit your ability to perform daily activities
- Interfere with sleep
- Lead to fatigue
- Affect mood and mental health wellbeing
- Strain relationships
What is the Pain Management Service?
The remote service provides easy, direct access to experienced professionals who are specifically trained in pain management.
This service is appropriate for patients over the age of 16 presenting with pain that has persisted for 6 months or more.
The programme aims to:
- Support you with specialist Pain Practitioners and personal Health & Wellbeing Coaches
- Help you understand how chronic pain develops and persists
- Show you ways to manage your pain
- Support your independence
- Improve your quality of life
- Help find the best medicines for your pain
Patients are offered a 16-week programme where they can explore a range of modules and tools to help manage their own pain. This service is not suitable for patients awaiting investigation or treatment for their pain, or patients experiencing complex mental health issues.
Please watch the introductory video below for more information or click this link to go to the video on Youtube.
How do I Access This Service?
The following practices have access to the Pain Management Service:
- Downham Health and Leisure Centre
- Torridon Road Medical Practice
- Parkview Surgery
- Oakview Family Practice
- Rushey Green Group Practice
- ICO Health Group
- Burnt Ash Surgery
Please speak to your GP practice for more information on accessing this service.
Patient Feedback
Patient 1
Sai and Holly have been amazing help in helping me understand how to manage my pain and also to recover when I get flairs. This has helped me massively with work as I’m always at a risk of a potential flair which used to give me anxiety whilst working but I feel much more confident, the meditation, sleep patterns and flair plan Holly planned for me has improved how I deal with pain and my life in general. Sai stretches and strengthening plan has reduce the amount of flairs I get and has helped me gained more strength in my damaged knee. I really appreciate the hard work that has gone in to help me and I’m grateful that I’ve come across you both.
Patient 2
Patient was experiencing pain in his legs and ankles. Was caring for his elderly relative and did not have any other social connections/ hobbies or was not making time for himself. Since being in the programme he has started taking walks outside, reported the pain being more manageable and also understands the importance of making time for himself. He has now expressed interest in working towards getting involved in social activities in the local community through a social prescribing link given by the H&W coach and has been challenging his anxiety in getting his needs met during the programme. PSEQ score was improved.
Patient 3
Patient was experiencing a lot of neck pain. A mixture of getting the physio exercises into her daily routine, getting outside for walks during her work day and realising that she needed to make more time for herself as he schedule was really busy she reported the pain had cleared up by week 4 with the health and wellbeing coach. She is still in the programme as she would like to stay until the end just in case the pain comes back but has reported she is pain free and feels confident managing it in future.
