INTRODUCTION
The truth is that pain-killers are often not the solution to persistent pain. They may help a the beginning of a pain episode but they are best tailed off after three months and replaced with better things to re-programme the brain to manage the pain.
This is a list of services that may help you. What they have in common is that they help you to ‘re-programme’ your life and pain with exercise, diet, and mental skills. This has been shown to reduce pain and improve your life.
CHRONIC PERSISTENT PAIN RESOURCES IN SOUTH TYNESIDE
1. ESCAPE PAIN
OUR ADVICE: This is a brilliant service for people with chronic knee and hip pain, but you need to be over 55 years old. This is popular with our patients who tell us that after the programme they have reduced pain and stronger knees.
Th website says that “Escape-Pain is a group based, NICE-approved rehabilitation programme for the management of osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee. Classes are run by Age Concern Tyneside South (ACTS) for six weeks with sessions on Mondays and Thursdays. To be eligible you must:
- do less than 30 minutes physical activity per week
- be aged 55 years or older
- have experienced chronic joint pain for at least 3 months
- need a supervised exercise programme
- be independently mobile and able to carry out regular exercise
- Available to attend classes for 6 weeks
For more information please contact Age Concern Tyneside South on 0191 4566903.”
OUR ADVICE: ‘Pain-killers’ don’t work very well in ‘arthritis’ of the knee or hip and this is an excellent alternative. It does not matter if your pain is ‘mild’ or severe or are preparing for surgery this programme will help you.
2. BLISSABILITY
OUR ADVICE: This agency offers lots of help and advice. One of their programmes promotes ‘self care’ where you can look at ways of ‘re-programming’ your life with exercise, diet, and mental skills which improve your ability to deal with your pain.
Summary
They provide a 6 week (2 hours per workshop) free course on “health and wellbeing in mind and body.”
The course looks at understanding what health is and what it is not. It looks at the body and mental and social wellbeing and how we can look after ourselves. Here is an extract from their website about this course;
- “Behaviour change: Discover how we can try to change unhealthy behaviours and how the best motivator for change is ourself.
- Self Esteem, & confidence: Learn how negative feelings can affect our behaviour which can affect our self-esteem and beliefs.
- Stress: Find out what stress can do to our bodies and how we can chill out.
- Nutrition: Investigate healthy eating, the eat well plate and food groups; salt, sugar and fat content and food packaging.
- Exercise: Looks at what is exercise and how even a little is good for us; knowing where to go when things go wrong and social prescribing.”
How do I contact them?
You can refer yourself by ringing 0191 427 1666. This is the weblink.
OUR ADVICE: this is really helpful for patients with persistent pain where ‘medical treatment’ have not made much difference to their pain. It is a great way to look at other options to ‘reprogram’ the brain and reduce pain. some patients also like the shared experience of working with people who are ‘in the same boat’
3. South Tyneside Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service – (formerly South Tyneside Talking Therapies)
OUR ADVICE: if stress, trauma, anxiety, low self esteem or depression are issues that you are dealing with then tackling them may improve your ability to deal with your pain
Also known as: South Tyneside Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service or South Tyneside Talking Therapies.
They “offer a confidential service to individuals, families and groups depending on which method is most effective. We aim to help people through difficult times in their lives. We initially offer an assessment appointment to help you to decide, with the support of one of our experienced therapists, which therapy would be the most helpful to you.”
This is their list of things that they can help with
- “Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma
- Stress
- Bereavement
- Low Self Esteem
- and other emotional issues”
The types of therapy that they describe include:
- “Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
- Mindfulness
- Primary Care Mental Health – workers who offer integrative brief therapy
- Short Courses and Supported Self Help (4-6 weeks) that help people understand common mental health difficulties they might be experiencing and what they can do about them.”
Where is the service provided from?
This exciting six-day service will offer extended late evening appointments Monday – Thursday and Saturday opening. The main base will remain at Cleadon Park Primary Care Centre with appointments offered to clients at Flagg Court Primary Care Centre, Monkton Hall as well as other venues across the borough.
How do I contact them?
You can self refer on 0191 404 1322, This is the weblink.
OUR ADVICE: assessment is normally within a few weeks but the wait for treatment can be several months. in the meantime here is a link to some resources that may help you.
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