Many people have a very simple, even simplistic, way of thinking about how and why pain occurs.
While this works fine in many day to day situations, it falls down when trying to understand longer term, or persistent pain.
This poor understanding of the role of the brain in conditioning the pain experience can make it particularly difficult for people with persistent pain to come to terms with what may be influencing how they experience pain.
This A4 sheet has been designed to use in consultations with your patient, to help them think about the many factors that are contributing to their experience of persistent pain.
Look at it together with your patient as a way of getting the conversation started about persistent pain, and how it can’t simply be treated like other forms of pain.
This is a pilot version of a new resource which has been developed in conjunction with Dr David Tomson and North Tyneside CCG. Live Well with Pain is currently trialling it with a number of clinicians working with people with persistent pain.