An Introduction to Living Well with Pain

Practical 'footsteps' to help you live well with a chronic pain conditionIf you live with a long term condition that causes you chronic pain, then you are not alone. Chronic or persistent pain affects many adults and children in many ways. It can impact on your mood, your home and work life, your relationships, your sleep, your activities and all areas of your health. It can take your life over. Change is possible. Effective pain management requires a practical multi-focused approach. This self-help guide brings together tools that have worked with thousands of people with pain. It guides you through skills that help you stop struggling and cope well with pain, including:· Goal-setting, making action plans and rewarding yourself· Pacing your day to day activities and building in relaxation practice· Developing healthy exercise and eating routines· Sleeping well again· Coping with setbacksDr Frances Cole was a GP and pain rehabilitation specialist. She developed the first UK primary and community care pain rehabilitation programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles in 1996. She developed a pain health needs assessment tool that won an NHS Modernisation award in 2005 and gained an NHS National Clinical Leaders Award in 2011. Frances is a past chair of the British Pain Society Pain Management Programme Special Interest Group whose current focus is on multidisciplinary pain management. Her current work is on digital self-management tools for pain including apps.