what a pain

help and info

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.

organisations

Back Care – the Charity for Healthier Backs
16 Elmtree Road
Teddington
Middlesex TW11 8ST
Tel: 020 8977 5474
Helpline: 0845 130 2704 (local rate)
E-mail: website@backcare.org.uk
Website: www.backpain.org
Charity offering advice on managing and preventing back pain via factsheets, publications and a helpline. There is also an up-to-date diary of events across the UK such as seminars, lectures and awareness days.

Bath Pain Management Unit
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust
Upper Borough Walls
Bath BA1 1RL
Tel: 01225 473427
E-mail: suzy.williams@rnhrd.nhs.uk
Website: www.bath.ac.uk/pain-management
Offers a range of residential pain management programmes for adults and adolescents in addition to assessments and outpatient coping skills. The Channel 4 documentary was filmed at this pain management unit.

The British Pain Society
Third Floor
Churchill House
35 Red Lion Square
London WC1R 4SG
Tel: 020 7269 7840
E-mail: info@britishpainsociety.org
Website: www.britishpainsociety.org
Contains information for the general public including leaflets on chronic pain, opioid medication for chronic pain conditions and spinal cord stimulation as a treatment for some chronic pain conditions.

INPUT Pain Management Unit
St Thomas' Hospital
Lambeth Palace Road
London, SE1 7EH
Tel 020 7188 3255
Website: www.inputpainunit.org.uk
INPUT is a pain treatment unit at St. Thomas' Hospital in London. Patients from across the UK attend residential courses to learn better ways of coping with their pain and getting back to a normal life in spite of their problems.

Pain Concern
PO Box 13256
Haddington EH41 4YD
Tel/Helpline: 01620 822572 (Mon-Fri 9-5pm, Fri evening 6.30-7.30pm)
Offers a Listening Ear helpline – the chance to talk to another pain sufferer. E-mail: info@painconcern.org.uk
Website: www.painconcern.org.uk
Provides information and support for pain sufferers and those who care for them, free factsheets and leaflets to help people manage their pain, plus a quarterly magazine.

The Pain Relief Foundation Clinical Sciences Centre University Hospital Aintree Lower Lane Liverpool L9 7AL Tel: 0151 529 5820 E-mail: secretary@painrelieffoundation.org.uk Website: www.painrelieffoundation.org.uk UK charity that funds research into chronic pain. The website has a huge amount of information on the subject plus self-help books and tapes, a useful links page and information on current drugs available.

websites

Baackpain
www.hse.gov.uk/betterbacks/
A rock band is suffering from backpain! – how to get them back on track? This site aimed at people in the workplace has lots of useful tips and info on the prevention and management of pain, presented in a fun way.

Back Care – Protecting Young Backs
www.backpain.org
Charity offering advice on managing and preventing back pain via factsheets and publications. Their primary focus throughout 2007 is to address the high incidence of back pain in children and young people with a 'Protect Young Backs' campaign.

Chronic Pain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_pain
Comprehensive information on the history and treatments of chronic pain from this online community encyclopaedia, which cross-references to other related issues.

DIPEx.org
www.dipex.org
Personal experiences of health and illness from the DIPEx charity, University of Oxford. The website has a section on chronic pain containing videos, audio and written accounts of people's pain experiences along with information about chronic pain and the available treatments. DIPEx also has an active online forum where people can interact and seek opinions etc. about pain experiences.

Pain Support
www.painsupport.co.uk
Discussion forum and Contact Club for those with chronic pain who wish to ask questions, get support or advice or just be part of a group of other fellow sufferers.

SKIP – Supporting Kids in Pain
http://shsskip.swan.ac.uk/home.htm
Information and support for children, teenagers and parents affected by a complex regional pain syndrome.

Stem Cell Cure Hope for Back Pain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6196644.stm
A patient's own stem cells could soon be used to cure chronic back pain, say researchers from Manchester University on this BBC Health page.

reading

	A Simple Guide to Back Pain by Eleanor Bull and Graham Archard (CSF Medical Communications, 2005) Part of a Simple Medicine series this book covers many areas including: what causes back pain, devising a back pain management plan, medications that may help and treatments available. It also includes a helpful list of questions to ask your doctor. Get this book

	Managing Pain Before It Manages You by Margaret Caudill (Guildford Publications, 2002) Workbook that teaches coping skills proven to decrease the discomfort, depression, and anxiety associated with chronic pain. The information and techniques have been used for two decades, and have been demonstrated to empower pain sufferers and decrease pain-related disability and distress. Get this book

	Managing your Arthritis by Mary Dunkin (Class Publishing, 2005) There are many forms of arthritis and this book gives details about the major forms and how management varies between them. Along with advice about diagnosis and getting appropriate care from health professionals it also gives details about medications, exercise, and the pros and cons of various food supplements and complementary therapies. Get this book

	Overcoming Chronic Pain by Frances Cole, Helen Macdonald, Catherine Carus and Hazel Howden-Leach (Constable and Robinson, 2005) This book uses cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to help reduce the experience of pain. Amongst many aspects it explores practical ways to improve sleep and relaxation, shows you how to become fitter and pace your activities and looks at ways to maintain healthy relationships. Get this book

	Pain: the science and culture of why we hurt by Marni Jackson (Bloomsbury, 2003) A groundbreaking inquiry into the nature, treatment and definition of human pain; one of the most misunderstood subjects to challenge humankind. Jackson takes us back into the history of pain and forward into the possibilities of pain genetics, bringing us stories of people in pain and the pain pioneers. Get this book

self-help audio tapes

Talking Life – Pain Management
www.talkinglife.co.uk/html/pain.html
Pain management audio programmes are available to order on this website. They have been produced with the Pain Relief Foundation (PRF) and its specialist pain management team, specifically for the NHS.

(June 2007)

Back to feature.