Pain: Do You Get It?

A series of events intended to change the way people think about, talk about and treat long-term pain, is planned for people on the Isle of Man.

‘Pain: Do You Get It?’ is being held on Tuesday 11 July (18:30) and Wednesday 12 July (16:00) at Douglas Golf Club.

These events are being organised by Manx Care as part of a project to improve care for our patients who experience long-term pain. As part of this work, we want to improve people’s understanding of pain and pain management, so that we can better support our patients, and so our patients can better understand how they can help themselves.

Hosted by Manx Care, Flippin Pain™ aims to provide events where patients and healthcare professionals can engage with the most recent thinking relating to chronic pain. Events are being delivered by internationally renowned pain scientists and experts, coupled with real-life stories of those who live with pain themselves.

After a recent Flippin’ Pain event in Scotland, 94% of attendees said they would recommend the event to others. 60% of attendees felt more comfortable speaking to their healthcare professional about their pain.

Richard Pell, campaign director for Flippin’ Pain™ said: “Long term pain is believed to affect between 30% and 50% of the UK population, and for many it has a significant impact on their physical and mental health and their quality of life. One of the things these events do is help people make sense of the different options that are out there. For many years now, the science and best-practice guidelines have been telling us that most scans, medications and surgery have little or no long-term benefit for chronic pain.

“These types of interventions are being provided at greater and greater rates, and so it’s not surprising that the number of people suffering isn’t reducing. This needs to change, but it has to start with a change in understanding. Without flipping our understanding of pain, much of the best advice regarding what to do about it makes no sense at all.

“Unfortunately, when it comes to long-term pain there are no silver bullets, nor is there a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. These events, like our other Flippin’ Pain resources, are not an instant cure, but they do provide unique opportunities to listen to and learn from world-leading experts, specialist healthcare professionals, and people living with long-term pain. And we know that for many people, flipping their understanding of pain can be a transformative first step on the road to recovery.”