Pain Management Therapy Team
OVERVIEW:
We are a team consisting of an Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist who are specialised in Persistent Pain, assisted by a Pain Management Therapy Assistant. The Pain Management Therapy Team are the non-medical branch of the Chronic Pain Service and focus on therapeutic approaches to pain management.
The team offer Pain Management and Lifestyle Group education sessions on different aspects of pain management; these may be delivered by one or multiple members of the team. There may also be a need for some individual therapy sessions which will be determined by specific needs.
Treatment sessions will be offered face to face at Leigh Health Centre (1st Floor) and Boston Health Centre Wigan (Buildings A Ground Floor & B 1st Floor).
What can you expect from the Pain Management Therapy Team?
The therapists use evidence based practice with the most up-to-date information and treatment for you to support you to decide which skills or techniques work for you the best.
Occupational Therapy
The Pain Management Specialist Occupational Therapist provides and offers support with:
- learning diaphragmatic breathing, body awareness and mindfulness techniques as tools to help you with managing your persistent pain more effectively.
- helping you to problem solve functional difficulties you may have with your personal care, sleep hygiene or activities of daily living that have value and meaning to you.
- supporting you with adapted techniques or small aids to help you to accommodate any restrictions you may have.
- analysing activities, discussing goal setting, helping you to develop pacing, prioritising and planning skills to gain that sense of control over your pain condition.
In addition they also work closely with the other Pain Management Therapy Team members to help you continue the roles in your life that are important to you.
Physiotherapy
The Pain Management Specialist Physiotherapist will work with you to:
- help you to understand why you are in pain and what you can do about it.
- support you to gain control over your pain and be as independent as possible through pain education, goal setting, talking therapy strategies and exercises.
- guide you through a suitable exercise programme that is personal to you and discuss the benefits of exercise in managing persistent pain and the other positive impacts it has on your health and wellbeing.
You might see the Physiotherapist independently, jointly with the Occupational Therapist or as part of the Pain Management and Lifestyle Group sessions. Everybody is different therefore it is important to find the treatment option that suits you best.
Pain Management and Lifestyle Group
The Pain Management and Lifestyle Group is an interactive course currently delivered at Leigh Sports Village (1st Floor - Studio 3). It is delivered by the Pain Management Therapy Team for 2 and a half hours per week over 10 weeks. There are usually between 10-15 attendees with a variety of persistent pain conditions. The group environment provides an opportunity to share experiences and learn from other people who have persistent pain.
The group aims to help patients understand more about their pain condition and the factors which influence it. It is an opportunity to learn new skills to be able to manage pain more effectively, gain a sense of control over the pain, enhance mood and improve productivity and activity levels through self-management strategies.
Key themes of the programme are:
- Understanding pain
- Introduction to relaxation & mindfulness techniques
- Exercise and persistent pain
- Sleep hygiene
- Nutrition
- Pacing techniques
- SMART goal setting
- Activity management & adaptation of daily living tasks
- Managing setbacks
Patients are encouraged to bring a drink of water, pillows, move around, stretch, change position and bring anything required to make the group experience as comfortable as possible. Loose fitting clothing and supportive footwear or trainers are essential for the exercise component of the group. The exercise element is graded and will be tailored to your needs.
What does the group expect from you?
You must commit to all sessions of the group to gain maximum benefit from the sessions. You will be expected and encouraged to practice the skills learnt each week during the time between each session.
Patients who have accepted there are no further medical or surgical options to manage their pain will respond well to the Pain Management and Lifestyle Group sessions.
- Explain Pain
EXPLAIN PAIN PRESENTATIONS (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Pain is a complex process designed to protect us and is influenced by many factors and controlled by the brain. The information below can help you to understand your pain and to start learning self management skills to live well, despite the pain.
PAIN VIDEO RESOURCES
PAIN WEBSITE RESOURCES
- Exercise and Pain
EXERCISE AND PAIN PRESENTATION (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Information which can help you to understand how to exercise within your pain tolerances and avoid having flare ups of pain.
GRADED EXERCISES - SELF MANAGEMENT TOOL
Gentle exercises suitable for people living with pain, which can be graded up or down according to pain levels
PAIN WEBSITES
- Relaxation and Mindfulness
RELAXATION AND MINDFULNESS PRESENTATIONS (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Information to help you to practice self-soothing techniques to dial down the volume of your pain and allow you to focus on activities that you enjoy doing.
Explanation of Autonomic Nervous System - Understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems within us that can influence the volume of pain experienced
Intro to relaxation - What is relaxation and what are the benefits of practising relaxation regularly as a pain management tool/strategy?
Intro to mindfulness - What is mindfulness and how can we practice this in daily life to help to self-manage a pain condition?
RELAXATION VIDEOS
Deep Breathing / Diaphragmatic Breathing Video
RELAXATION VOICE RECORDINGS
Introduction to relaxation - this recording will help you to set up the right conditions in your environment before beginning relaxation work.
Deep Breathing Voice Recording 1
Deep Breathing Voice Recording 2
Autogenic Technique Voice Recording 1
Autogenic Technique Voice Recording 2
Jacobsons Exercise Voice Recording 1
Jacobsons Exercise Voice Recording 2
Progressive Muscle Mindfulness Voice Recording 1
Progressive Muscle Mindfulness Voice Recording 2
Quick Autogenic Technique Voice Recording 1
Quick Autogenic Technique Voice Recording 2
Leaves on a stream Voice Recording 1
Leaves on a stream Voice Recording 2
MINDFULNESS SELF MANAGEMENT TOOL
Grounding - 5-4-3-2-1 technique using the 5 senses to ground self in the present moment.
MINDFULNESS VOICE RECORDINGS
Chocolate Meditation Voice Recording 1
Chocolate Meditation Voice Recording 2
Mindfulness Of The Hand Voice Recording 1
Mindfulness Of The Hand Voice Recording 2
Dropping The Anchor Voice Recording 1
Dropping The Anchor Voice Recording 2
GUIDED VISUALISATION VOICE RECORDINGS
Desert Island Voice Recording 1
Desert Island Voice Recording 2
The Magic Bubble Voice Recording 1
The Magic Bubble Voice Recording 2
RELAXATION AND MINDFULNESS WEBSITE RESOURCES
Other relaxation techniques - NHS
- Pacing and Small Aids
PACING PRESENTATION (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Information which will help you to understand the different coping styles of dealing with persistent pain and the impact that they can have on daily living plus tips on how to pace activities more effectively and reduce flare ups of pain.
PACING SELF MANAGEMENT TOOLS
PACING VIDEO RESOURCES
PACING WEBSITES
SMALL AIDS AND ADAPTATIONS INFORMATION
This information will provide the benefits of using small aids and adaptations to do daily living activities and where to get help with larger adaptations needed for the home.
- Sleep Hygiene
SLEEP HYGIENE PRESENTATION (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Information on how to improve the quality of your sleep and the impact of poor sleep on persistent pain.
SLEEP HYGIENE SELF MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
PAIN WEBSITES
- Nutrition
NUTRITION AND PAIN PRESENTATIONS (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Information on the Mediterranean Diet (Part 1) which is the anti-inflammatory diet recommended for pain management and how to reduce Pro-Inflammatory Foods (Part 2) which can worsen pain levels by increasing inflammation in the body.
PAIN SELF MANAGEMENT TOOL
NUTRITION WEBSITES
- Goal Setting
PAIN MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
Information on how to set realistic, achievable and timely SMART goals for yourself and recognising barriers to making changes and thinking of possible solutions.
Goal Setting - how to set a goal or goals that we would like to focus on
Values - how to identify what is important to us
PAIN MANAGEMENT VIDEO RESOURCES
ACCEPTANCE VIDEO - Tamar Pincus
Pain Acceptance - Choosing to focus on valued activities rather than pain.
PAIN SELF MANAGEMENT TOOLS
PAIN WEBSITE RESOURCES
- Self-Compassion
PAIN MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
How to be self compassionate towards yourself when living with a pain condition.
Self-Compassion - What is self-compassion and how can this be developed to manage pain more effectively?
PAIN WEBSITE RESOURCES
- Managing Setbacks
PAIN MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust)
How to manage setbacks following setting a goal or goals for yourself and how to get back on track with changes.
PAIN SELF MANAGEMENT TOOL
PAIN WEBSITE RESOURCES
- Acceptance
ACCEPTING PAIN
Learning to accept pain can be extremely helpful when learning to self-manage pain rather than struggling to avoid activities that flare up pain to reduce pain.
This is not easy and can be challenging as it means avoiding comparing ourselves with how we used to be and changing the focus to increasing the things that make us feel happy and well.
Many people can spend years looking for a medical explanation or for a healthcare professional to fix the pain, unfortunately most persistent pain cannot be fixed.
It can be extremely hard to accept that you are no longer the same person and that life is very different to how it once was. If you can learn to be more accepting of your pain, this different mindset can help you to move forwards and live well with your pain.
ACCEPTANCE VIDEO
Pain and Me - a story of acceptance (Tamar Pincus)
ACCEPTANCE VOICE RECORDING RESOURCES
Struggle Switch Voice Recording 1
Struggle Switch Voice Recording 2
PAIN ACCEPTANCE WEBSITES
- TESTIMONIALS
1-1 Testimonials - Pain Management Therapy Team.
"My 1-1 sessions were so beneficial to help me to continue to self manage my pain and the support I have been given has been incredible."
"I have been surprised how helpful relaxation techniques have been and have been able to share with friends, family and work colleagues. It has made a massive difference to my life. I have loved all of it and now giving myself permission to take time out for myself."
"I really do want to express the support I have been given both practical and emotional. I have been dealt with with alot of empathy and am very grateful for the support I have received. I have felt that I have been understood. Relaxation strategies and exercises have helped to take some of my fear away when trying to do things. Pacing has also helped and learning not to feel guilty about not doing things. I am beginning to learn to accept my pain."
"Being honest I was sceptical about doing relaxation and mindfulness and feel that the therapy sessions have "opened my eyes." My overall comment is that the therapy approach for me has been more positive rather than focusing on just medication, and it has given me a much better understanding of pain and improved confidence to manage my pain."
Pain Management and Lifestyle Group Programme Testimonials.
What was the most helpful thing that you learned as part of the group?
"The company of the group, doing a little at a time and learning about other things."
"Taking part. Meeting other people. Adapting to pain tolerance."
"I would be very likely to recommend this programme to friends or family because the staff were very friendly, knowledgeable, approachable and explained everything."
- Self-referrals and Community Resources
Self - Referral Links
Community Occupational Therapy - click on this link to contact Wigan Council for an aids and adaptations assessment in your home.
Wigan Talking Therapies - click on this link if you are an adult needing support with common mental health problems like mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress, panic attacks, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Community Resources
Andy's Man Club - click on this link to access peer support in the Wigan Borough.
Wigan and Leigh Carers Centre - click on this link if you are an unpaid carer and need support with training, benefits or filling out forms.
Wigan and Leigh Armed Forces - click on this if you a member of the armed forces community and need support.