Chronic pain affects millions of people in the UK, so you’re not alone. It can have a huge impact on your quality of life and can also affect the lives of your family and those around you. Our goal is to use this website and other resources to support and empower you to improve your quality of life and live well with pain.
The documents and links contained within this web page will explain more about chronic pain, how this is different from acute pain and a bit more about how chronic pain is managed. Once completed you will have a better understanding of pain management and have the tools to improve your quality of life.
Understanding Chronic Pain
‘What is chronic pain?’ is an information leaflet for people who have been told they have chronic widespread pain, also known as chronic pain.
Download booklet: What is chronic pain?
Medication in Chronic Pain
Opioid Side Effects & Reducing and Stopping Opioids
Download booklet: Side effects of Opioids
Download booklet: How to reduce and stop Opioids
Patient Expert Chronic Pain Videos
Chronic Pain — an Introduction
This video is one of a series designed to help those with chronic pain that has been fully medically investigated. The videos cover a series of topics and aim to help those with long term pain gain a better understanding of the pain itself. They also provide help in dealing successfully with the effects of chronic pain, such as poor sleep, stress, lowered activity and flare ups.
Understanding Chronic Pain
Why do we need to understand pain?
- What we understand we can manage
- We all think we know what pain is
- All pain is not the same
- There are two parts:
- Part 1 – what is pain and how it arises
- Part 2 – what is chronic pain and can it be managed?
Chronic Pain and Flare-ups
This is not necessarily a sign that things are worsening and you will find they do settle. Sometimes we can identify a reason for a flare-up and there are things you can do to reduce how often they occur and how long they may last.
Chronic Pain and Activity
Simple, everyday activities like walking, swimming, gardening and dancing can ease some of the pain directly by blocking pain signals to the brain.
Activity also helps lessen pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints.
Try to be active every day instead of only on the good days when you’re not in so much pain. This may reduce the number of bad days you have and help you feel more in control. Try to avoid overdoing it on good days to avoid payback and increasing bad days.
Chronic Pain and Stress
Chronic Pain and Sleep
Self-Management
Online Resources
Physiotherapy Keep Active Videos
Aliss Community Health & Wellbeing
Live well with pain 10 footsteps
Below is Peter’s story. He was told there was nothing else for him following an industrial accident and that he would be in chronic pain for the rest of his life.
Reading Resources
Overcoming Chronic Pain by Francis Cole
Mindfulness for Health by Danny Penman and Vidyamala Burch
Telephone Helpline Numbers
Pain Concern helpline 0300 123 0789
VS Arthritis helpline 0800 5200 520
NHS Help & Resources
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy
What do MSK physiotherapists do?
They assess and treat people who have any injury, disease or problem that relates to muscles, bones, joints and peripheral nerves. They may also provide advice to help you manage your condition, or refer you to other services as appropriate. The MSK physiotherapy service is based in a variety of health centres and hospital outpatient departments across all of Lanarkshire.
Find out how to access an MSK physiotherapist in Lanarkshire
Physical Activity Prescription
A physical activity prescription is a free gym pass that can be provided by the Practice Nurse or GP. It also allows for a personalised exercise programme to help with your goals and own needs.
Psychological Support with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Chronic pain involves thoughts, feelings and behaviours. CBT is a form of therapy that helps us to retrain thoughts, feelings and behaviours to help you manage pain so it doesn’t manage you. It helps you to look after your whole self and improve your long term quality of life. It is an 8 week online course supported by a therapist who will check in on you weekly. It takes around 1 hour a week but you can go at your own pace, in your own home. You need to give it a chance to work so a bit like a tablet or exercise its results will build up over time. If interested your GP or Practice Nurse can refer you for it.
Antidepressants And/Or Pain Medication
Antidepressants and/or pain medications can help improve your mood and in doing so will help with pain management as depression and chronic pain are often linked.
Occupational Therapy Support (OT)
Our practice based Occupational Therapist, Anne Sanderson, can work with you to make a holistic review of your needs. Together with the OT, you can set personalised, practical and realistic goals to help increase your quality of life by managing your health and being able to do the activities that you need or want to do. Find out more about occupational therapy.
Occupational Health Support
Occupational health support is a specialist branch of medicine that focuses on the physical and mental well-being of employees in the workplace. Occupational health aims to prevent work-related illness and injury by: encouraging safe working practices for example ergonomics (studying how you work and how you could work better).
Community Mental Health Team (CMHT)
CMHT is a multidisciplinary group of doctors, nurses, and allied health care professionals who work with people experiencing debilitating mental health problems.
Pain Team
The pain team is made up of consultants, specialised physiotherapists and a psychologist who help people experiencing pain which causes a large impact on day to day life. It is a rehabilitative service so it cannot cure pain but instead help people to learn to live with their pain and improve their quality of life as much as possible.
Chronic Pain Service
The Chronic Pain service offers patients/services users face-to-face, telephone and Near Me clinic appointments – at University Hospital Wishaw or the Buchanan Centre.