Chronic Pain – A Patient’s Guide

Information for children and young people

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Chronic Pain – A Patient's Guide – PIAG 095 (157kB pdf)

Introduction

The aims of the Chronic Pain Management Service are:

• To help you manage your pain better.
• To discuss with you how your particular problem has affected your school and social life.
• To help reduce your visits to see doctors.
• To help you feel more in control.
• To help you get back to normal.

We are a specialist team who help children and young people with long-standing (chronic) pain problems. We do this by providing treatment and support for them and their families.

Before your first appointment

We may contact other health professionals who are involved in your care, e.g. your GP, the school nurse. You will receive some questionnaires, please complete them and bring them on the day of your appointment.

At your appointment you will be examined. Please wear clothing which will help us do this eg loose clothing, shorts, t-shirts.

Who you will see at your appointment

The Anaesthetist (Doctor) – is a pain doctor. They will ask you about how the pain first started, what it feels like, and what medicines or treatments you have tried.

The Psychologist – asks you and your parents how your pain problems affect your everyday life eg school attendance and hobbies. They will discuss ways to help concentration, sleep pattern and self-esteem. They can help you manage the range of emotions that you may feel living with chronic pain. They help you with pain management and coping strategies.

The Physiotherapist – asks about how the pain has affected your mobility, activity levels and independence. They help you understand the effects of pain on the body. They help you use coping strategies, planning activities and exercises to improve your pain management.

Specialist Pain Nurses – co-ordinate your care in the service. They provide information on medicines and support with coping and pain management techniques.

Why we work as a team

This is one of the best ways for us to work with pain problems. Chronic pain problems are often influenced by a lot of things. Having different professionals involved means we can provide coordinated help and advice for you. We use a combination of psychological approaches, physical therapy and medications to improve it. This is called working as a multidisciplinary team.

We understand that chronic pain causes worry and stress for you and your family. We aim to help with both the causes of your pain and the effects of living with it.

Treatments

Medicines help with:

• Reducing the number of pain messages sent to the brain.
• Doing physiotherapy and psychology
• Sleep pattern

Psychology helps with:

• Emotions
• Fears and anxiety about pain
• Relaxation

Physiotherapy helps with:

• Movement
• Exercise
• Motivation
• Self-esteem
• Goals

What happens at your first appointment?

Your first appointment will last for one and half hours. You will meet the whole team and we will ask you lots of questions. This helps us to understand your pain, the problems it causes you and how it affects your life, like school and your social life.
The doctor and physiotherapist will then want to examine you. At the same time parents can talk through any other worries with our specialist nurse and psychologist. Once the team has finished the assessment we usually break for five minutes.

We then come back and talk with you to agree a treatment plan with the whole team.
At the end of the appointment we will agree how often you will see the whole team, or different members of the team.

Contact numbers

If no one is available to talk to you when you ring please leave a message on the answerphone and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

This leaflet only gives general information. You must always discuss the individual treatment of your child with the appropriate member of staff. Do not rely on this leaflet alone for information about your child’s treatment.

This information can be made available in other languages and formats if requested.

PIAG: 095