Resources for Family & Friends

Chronic pain can be very difficult to understand and manage - not only for people who have chronic pain, but also for their family and friends. 

One helpful resource people with pain can share with loved ones is information that can help them understand chronic pain. Here is a list of resources that can help people understand what causes chronic pain, how to treat it, and how it impacts a person's quality of life:

• Understanding Pain In Less than 5 Minutes (Brainman): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3phB93rvI

• What Is Pain, And What Is Happening When We Feel It? (The Conversation): https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-pain-and-what-is-happening-when-we-feel-it-49040

• Retrain Pain: a free online course designed to teach people about chronic pain and how to reduce symptoms: http://www.retrainpain.org

Somatics & Feldenkrais Exercises

Many people with chronic pain find that learning to move in comfortable ways can help reduce their pain and improve their ability to move and be physically active. Somatics and Feldenkrais are two types of gentle movement that are designed to improve the body's ability to move freely and comfortably. Both practices have a wide variety of lessons designed to target different body parts and movement abilities. This post contains links to some introductory videos designed to introduce Feldenkrais and Somatics practices.

As always, before beginning a new exercise program, I recommend liaising with your healthcare provider to find ways of reducing risks and optimizing benefits.

The "Core" & Pelvic Floor Muscles

Healthcare providers and fitness trainers often recommend core muscle exercises in an effort to reinforce the spine and make daily activities easier and more efficient. Many people have difficulty learning how to use their core muscles in a coordinated way. The following resources are designed to help people learn to activate and coordinate their core muscles efficiently.

Gentle Tai Chi & Qi Gong

Tai Chi & Qi Gong are slow, gentle movement practices that can be accessible and beneficial to many people with chronic pain. In particular, these practices can be helpful for reintroducing the body to exercise when it is difficult to tolerate more intense physical activities.

As always, before beginning a new exercise program, I recommend speaking with your healthcare team to learn what sorts of exercise are likely to be helpful given your current fitness level and your medical history.

Gentle Yoga

While the thought of yoga might bring to mind images of contortion and gymnastics, in fact, there are several types of yoga practice that involve stillness or very gentle movement. Yoga practices typically include deep breathing and mindfulness practices, which can be of benefit to some people with chronic pain.

To learn more about yoga, or to access online yoga classes, I recommend visiting the Yoga International website: https://yogainternational.com. This website houses a large library of online yoga classes, including classes in yin yoga, therapeutic yoga, guided relaxation, pranayama (controlled breathing), guided meditation, and gentle yoga. The site also offers an online course in Yoga for Lower Back Pain, and a helpful article on how pain works and how yoga can be helpful for people with persistent pain.

Another resources of interest is a 5 part series of yoga videos designed for people with chronic pain, which is available via the Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain & Disability. You can access this video series here: http://www.cirpd.org/Webinars/Pages/Webinar.aspx?wbID=16

The following resources are presented to illustrate some lesser known yoga practices that can be accessible for some people with chronic pain. As always, if you would like to try a new type of exercise, I recommend talking to a healthcare provider who is familiar with your health history about how to do so safely, in a way that is likely to benefit your health.

Fitness Opportunities In Hants (& Online)

I do not endorse the content of any of the following resources. If you would like to try a new type of exercise, I recommend collaborating with your fitness instructor and your healthcare team to find opportunities that are likely to be helpful given your current fitness level and your medical history.

Scheduling & Journalling

Many people with complex health conditions find it difficult to keep track of all the things their healthcare providers recommend (let alone all the other things they would like to do each day). Fortunately, there are several resources that can help you stay on track with your pain management strategies.

As always, I do not endorse any of these items - they are listed for informational purposes only.

Support Groups

Many people with chronic pain find it helpful to connect with others who understand what it's like to live with chronic pain. Connecting with others can help people cope with their day-to-day experiences, and help them discover new pain management strategies and resources.

The following list is provided for informational purposes only. I do not endorse any of these groups.

Understanding Chronic Pain

Understanding chronic pain can be challenging - and when you don't understand what's happening in your body, it can be difficult to fix. Similarly, if your car broke down and you did not understand how cars worked, it's unlikely that you would be able to fix your car - but if you understood how cars worked and how to address mechanical problems, you might have a shot at fixing it.

The following resources provide general information about chronic pain. Their purpose is to help people better understand some of the changes that can happen in the body when people have chronic pain, setting the stage for more informed discussions with healthcare providers. If you have chronic pain, it's important that you talk to your healthcare team about the factors contributing to your pain and your overall health, so you can create a treatment plan that meets your specific needs.

Understanding Pain In Less than 5 Minutes (Brainman):

Why Things Hurt (Lorimer Moseley, TED Talks):

What Is Pain, And What Is Happening When We Feel It? (The Conversation): https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-pain-and-what-is-happening-when-we-feel-it-49040

Live Plan Be: a website providing lots of information on chronic pain and the pros and cons of different treatment options - including both traditional and alternative strategies.  https://www.liveplanbe.ca/

PainHEALTH: a website designed to help people understand musculoskeletal pain: http://painhealth.csse.uwa.edu.au/index.html

PainBytes: a website designed to educate people about the many ways in which chronic pain can impact everyday life, and about strategies that can help reduce its impact http://www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au/chronic-pain/painbytes

Retrain Pain: a free online course designed to teach people about chronic pain and how to reduce symptoms: http://www.retrainpain.org

Pain BC: suggests a wide variety online and offline resources that may be of interest to people with chronic pain: https://www.painbc.ca/chronic-pain

• Pain BC also provides an excellent pain management toolkit: https://www.painbc.ca/sites/default/files/PainBC-PainToolbox-2016-Digital.pdf

On PainScience.com, Paul Ingraham explains how chronic pain works and why it is so challenging to treat, and offers hope/insights to people striving for recovery: https://www.painscience.com/articles/pain-is-weird.php

Relaxation Resources

Many people with chronic pain find relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and imagery helpful for relaxing the body and mind.

Here are some links to online relaxation resources. Please note that I do not specifically endorse the content of any of these resources - only you and your healthcare provider are in positions to judge whether the listed resources are likely to be helpful to you. If you are interested in learning more about how relaxation strategies might help you manage your chronic pain, I strongly recommend that you talk to your healthcare provider about how to use them in a way that is likely to complement your health conditions and your other pain management strategies.