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Pain
Main umbrella pain support groups and organisations
Pain Relief Foundation
Funds research into the causes and treatment of chronic pain. Leaflets, tapes, books, etc, available on a wide range of pain related topics.
Action on Pain
A national charity providing support for people affected by chronic pain, either as a sufferer or a carer/relative.
British Pain Society
UK society of health professionals involved in pain management and research. Includes information for patients.
Chronic Pain Policy Coalition
Established in 2006, the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition (CPPC) is a forum uniting professionals, parliamentarians and patients who operate at a policy level to develop an improved strategy for the prevention, treatment and management of chronic pain and its associated conditions
Pain Concern
UK charity providing information and support for people who live with pain and those who care for and about them. Listening-ear helpline. Free leaflets to help you manage your pain. Their magazine 'Pain Matters' brings you information such as: how to cope with pain; how well are our pain services working? updates on the latest developments.
painSUPPORT
A friendly, supportive and informative not-for-profit organisation for those with chronic pain. An interactive site with a confidential contact club and lively discussion page.
Recommended self help resources
The following self help web resources are recommended by Southampton Pain Management Service:
The Pain Toolkit
By Pete Moore ; A Department of Health funded booklet
Pain Management - how to get the best from your health Services
From the Patients Association.
Pain Concern
Pain concern has a number of free useful booklets available to download such as how to exercise safely, pacing, etc - www.painconcern.org.uk/pages/page59.php
Self help guides to purchase
All available on Amazon via the Patient UK bookshop:
- Overcoming Chronic Pain: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques - by Frances Cole
- Manage Your Pain - by Michael Nicholas; Allan Molloy; Lois Tonkin; Lee Beetson; A sort of “Haynes Manual” and based upon Pain management courses run by the authors.
- Coping Successfully with Pain (Overcoming common problems) - by Neville Shone.
Information on differing types of pain
Adult Post Operative Pain Management:
- Adult Post Operative Pain Management - From the 'Behind the Medical Headlines' website developed to provide authoritative and independent expert commentaries on topical medical matters reported in the international media. Produced by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
- Prospect - an online resource to assess evidence for interventions to relieve pain in specific clinical situations, and questions the appropriateness of generalising this information to other clinical circumstances. The group has developed evidence-based guidelines for the management of post-operative pain related to a number of surgical procedures, including elective open colorectal surgery, total knee replacement and mastectomy.
Cancer Pain:
- Cancer Pain - a patient guide to complement the SIGN national guideline for health professionals.
- Cancer and pain control - what help to expect when you have pain related to cancer from Cancer Research UK
Neuropathic pain:
- Neuropathic pain - from Patient UK.
- Neuropathy Trust
Phantom limb pain:
- Phantom limb pain - from the Pain Relief Foundation.
Fibromyalgia:
- Fibromyalgia Association - provides comprehensive information on FM for patients.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (Formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy):
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - from the Pain Relief Foundation
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - from RSD Alliance, an umbrella organsaition for all those organizations wishing to help those with Complex regional pain syndrome.
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - from NHS Choices
See also resources and links in Patient UK for the following painful conditions:
- Angina
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Breast pain
- Headache
- Migraine
- Neck Pain
- Postherpetic neuralgia
- Shingles
- Trigeminal neuralgia
Drugs / medicines used for pain relief
Strong Opioids - The British Pain Society Guide
Generally considered the authorative guide on this controversial topic.
Drugs for Nerve Pain
From the Pain Relief Foundation
Medicine Guide for Pain
Medicine Guides provide reliable information about medicines (drugs), conditions and the different treatment options available. They have been developed in the UK as part of the Medicines Information Project.
Medicine Guide for Pain (severe)
Medicine Guides provide reliable information about medicines (drugs), conditions and the different treatment options available. They have been developed in the UK as part of the Medicines Information Project.
Drugs used to treat arthritis
Detailed information on various drugs from the Arthritis Research Campaign.
Fentanyl Patches for Use in the Management of Chronic/Persistent Pain
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust provide a wide range of patient information, including one in this area.
Pain Relief at Home – A guide to your ‘pain killers’ and how to take them
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provide a wide range of patient information leaflets including one on post operative pain management.
Other resources
NHS choices
NHS choices is produced by the Department of Health NHS Knowledge centre. It has a number of pages on managing pain although it can be hard to navigate. It has a useful blog on arthritis which discusses pain treatment options.
Bandolier
This hosts the Oxford Pain Internet Site. It firmly based in the principles of evidence-based medicine and has pulled together systematic reviews with pain as an outcome. It is generally regarded as the authoritative guide on pain treatments.
Pain (chronic neuropathic or ischaemic) - Spinal Cord Stimulation
A patient guide to complement the NICE national guideline for health professionals called Pain (chronic neuropathic or ischaemic) - Spinal Cord Stimulation .
Chronic Pain
Healthtalkonline, is an award-winning charity website, which lets you share in other people's experiences of health and illness. The information is based on qualitative research into patient experiences led by experts at the University of Oxford.
Youth Health Talk - Chronic Pain
This is a website about young people’s real life experiences of health and lifestyle. It is not just a website about the medical facts, this is about real people and real lives.
Dr Mark Miller’s website
Covers several types of common chronic pain conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia.
Bath Pain Management Services
Bath Pain Management Service aim to enhance individuals' daily functioning, allowing them to return to activities that are important to them, whether their pain is reduced or not. They are a regional centre for rehabilitation of complex pain problems where there is a high degree of disability and a national centre for children and adolescent pain. The website describes psychological therapies’ role in managing pain which can often be misunderstood.
TENS Hire
UK based organisation aiming to provide tens machines for pain relief.
Relaxation reviews
Independent reviews of guided relaxation tapes and CDs, with a section on tapes for pain.
Local support groups
Keeping Pace With Pain
Southampton Chronic Pain Support Group.
COPING - Derbyshire Chronic Pain Support Group
Information, help and support for people with chronic (ongoing) pain.
Further sources / more detailed information
Some non-UK sites
American Pain Foundation
Founded in 1997 is an independent nonprofit organization serving people with pain through information, advocacy, and support. It is the sister organization of the American Pain Association. Their mission is to improve the quality of life of people with pain by raising public awareness, providing practical information, promoting research, and advocating to remove barriers and increase access to effective pain management.
American Chronic Pain Association
Aims to facilitate peer support and education for individuals with chronic pain and their families so that these individuals may live more fully in spite of their pain. Also, to raise awareness among the health care community, policy makers, and the public at large about issues of living with chronic pain.
Return to Work Matters
An online network that provides news, a forum for issues, articles on research, resources and tools for return to work professionals and people engaged in returning injured people to work. The site authors state they aspire to offer the best available evidence, information and support to employers, medical and rehab practitioners, and insurers primarily in Australia and New Zealand, but with a rapidly growing audience in the UK and the USA.
The following list popular non-UK health information sites with content aimed at the general public. They are mainly from the US. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included but these large sites are comprehensive.
- Non-UK disease / illness sites
- Non-UK self-help / support group sites
More detailed medical information
The following list online sources of more detailed medical information, mainly from the UK. These sites are mainly aimed at health professionals, but are of interest to all. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included, but information about most medical topics can usually be found.
- PatientPlus - hundreds of medical reference articles provided by Patient UK.
- Evidence Based Medicine - such as from Clinical Evidence, The Cochrane Library, etc.
- Database of UK Clinical Guidelines - from NICE, SIGN, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, etc.
- Medline - abstracts available from thousands of journals.
- Sites listing free online medical textbooks and journals.
- Sites listing free medical images - pictures, atlases, anatomy, skin diseases, etc.
The authors and editors of this article are employed to create accurate and up to date content reflecting reliable research evidence, guidance and best clinical practice. They are free from any commercial conflicts of interest. Find out more about updating.
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Action on Pain
Bath Centre for Pain Services
British Pain Society
Chronic Pain Policy Coalition
Neuropathy Trust
Pain Association Scotland
Pain Concern
Pain Relief Foundation
UnwindPatientPlus articles related to this topic (^ top of page)
Controlled Drugs
Pain and Pain Relief
Pain Relief in ChildrenUK guidelines related to this topic (^ top of page)
Guidelines on PainLinks to other selected websites related to this topic (^ top of page)
TENS MachinesVideos related to this topic (^ top of page)
Links to online videos on PainPatient UK Newspaper (^ top of page)
Recent related news items
'Common painkiller is addictive'
Pain drugs get addiction warning
Red or dread
Urine test 'predicts' best drugs
Ocean coral 'offers pain therapy'All news by related topic
Pain newsRelated Products (^ top of page)
Online Pharmacy
Alka-Seltzer Original Tablets 10 tablets
Alka-Seltzer XS Tablets 10 tablets
Anadin Extra Soluble Tablets
Anadin Extra Tablets 12 tablets
Anadin Extra Tablets 16 tablets
Anadin Ibuprofen 200mg Tablets
Anadin Joint Pain Tablets 16 tablets
Anadin LiquiFast 200mg Capsules
Anadin LiquiFast 400mg Capsules
Anadin Original Tablets
Anadin Paracetamol
Anadin Ultra 200mg Ibupofen Capsules 16
Anadin Ultra 200mg Ibuprofen Capsules 32
Anadin Ultra Double Strength Capsules 10
Anadin Ultra Double Strength Capsules 20
Anadin Ultra Liquid Capsules
Askit Powders Sachets
Aspirin Tablets 300mg
Aspro Clear Maximum Strength Soluble Asprin
Aspro Clear Soluble Asprin
Biofreeze Pain Relief Spray
Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel Roll On
Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel Tube
Cuprofen Maximum Strength Tablets 48
Cuprofen Tablets 200mg 48 tablets
Cura Heat Back and Shoulder Pain
Deep Heat Patch
Dispersible Asprin Tablets 300mg
Disprin Asprin Soluble Tablets
Disprin Direct Chewable Asprin
Disprin Extra Soluble TabletsMedical equipment
TENS Units
Books
Back & Neck Pain for Dummies (Treating your)
Coping Successfully with Pain
Coping with Chronic Pain: The Complete Guide to Relief
Migraine & Other Headaches : British Medical Association's Family Doctor Series
Pain (Coping Successfully with)
Pain Explained: A Guide for Patients and Carers
Other - Useful resources (^ top of page)
Pictures, diagrams, photos, images, etc.Evidence based medicine
Online textbooks and journals
UK Guidelines
Online Videos
Medline
Other good health sites
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