What is a Pain Management Programme?

As you know, persistent pain can affect all aspects of your life. The Pain Management Programme (PMP) is a 6-week course designed to help patients live a more fulfilling life, despite the presence of pain. Over the course of the PMP you will learn a range of self-management skills and techniques to help you manage your pain in more helpful ways. The PMP uses a combination of physical, practical and psychological methods to provide you with skills to better manage your pain and improve your quality of life. This kind of approach to managing your pain has been developed over many years. Studies have shown the effectiveness of this approach in reducing the impact that persistent pain can have on people’s lives.

What is the aim of the Pain Management Programme?

The aim of the PMP is not to “fix” your pain, but to empower you to take back control over your life by learning skills to self-manage the pain you experience in helpful ways. The skills you learn will help you to set goals and make changes in areas of your life that have been affected by pain, e.g. by returning to activities you enjoy and that give you a sense of purpose and meaning, feeling more confident about moving your body, managing your mood and stress levels and giving you information about persistent pain and medications.   

Who runs the Pain Management Programme?

The PMP is run by a team of healthcare professionals, including a Pain Specialist Nurse, Physiotherapist and Clinical Psychologist. Additionally, some sessions are facilitated by a Pain Consultant, Pharmacist or Dietician.

What happens on the Pain Management Programme?

Participants meet once a week on a Tuesday morning from 10am to 1pm. It is important that you are able to commit to attending all the sessions of the 6-week programme. If you miss more than one session, we may suggest that you attend an alternative PMP to ensure you do not miss out on too much information. You will be in a group of up to 10-15 people who are all experiencing persistent pain. Although their pain may be quite different from yours, the way it affects their lives is often very similar.
Sessions cover a range of topics linked with persistent pain. Sessions will be interactive, giving you space to ask questions and share your thoughts and experiences, if you feel comfortable to do so. All sessions will include elements of mindfulness, relaxation and movement.

Topics covered include:

• Understanding the difference between acute and persistent pain
• Information about medications
• Discovering the role of movement and exercise in managing persistent pain
• Information about diet
• Information on how to improve your sleep
• Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness skills
• Learning about the role of thoughts and feelings in persistent pain and how to manage difficult thoughts and feelings (e.g. anxiety and stress)
• Setting manageable goals
• Planning and pacing activities
• Learning about communication and assertiveness
• Finding ways to manage flare-ups and planning for setbacks

You will be asked to complete a range of questionnaires at the start and end of the programme to help us assess the PMP and make changes and improvements where necessary.

What happens once I have been referred to the Pain Management Programme?

The Pain Management Team will send you an appointment to attend an assessment. The assessment will be carried out by two members of the team. You will be able to ask any questions about the PMP during the appointment.

At the end of the assessment, a joint decision will be made between you and the team, as to whether the programme will be of benefit for you. If we decide that the programme will be of benefit for you then you will be placed on the waiting list for the next available PMP. If we decide that the programme will not benefit you, we will discuss alternative options, including whether you would benefit from 1:1 work on topics covered in the PMP, whether you may find it more helpful to access a range of self-help materials in your own time or whether other services may be better able to support you. If you are unable to attend the 6-week programme due to other commitments, we may suggest that you are re-referred to the service in the future when your circumstances allow you to attend a PMP.

More information

Please contact Kelle Trivett about any queries you may have about the programme on 0121 685 4101.

Pain Management Team Members

Dr Tharakan - Consultant in pain medicine 
Dr Kafafy - Consultant in pain medicine
Dr Rabie - Consultant in pain medicine
Dr Carmel Bennet - Clinical Psychologist
Samantha Gavrovski - Senior physiotherapist 
Brian Hughes - Pain Nurse Specialist
Claire Butler-Madden - Pain Nurse Specialist
Deborah Kirkman - Pain Nurse Specialist
Kelle Trivett - Secretary 
Diane Olalla - Secretarial support