Pain BC. Changing Pain. Changing Minds.
August 2017 Update
From Our Executive Director, Maria Hudspith 
 
What difference can donors make when they give to Pain BC? A real and practical difference. 
 
A Pain BC donor, recognizing the pressing need to make an impact on children and youth living with pain, has stepped up to sponsor our upcoming Provincial Pediatric Pain Management Symposium. This contribution, in additional to generous sponsorship from the Arthritis Society and support from the Ministry of Health, will now allow us to provide free registration for the event. We're so grateful for the commitment this donor has made to support our work. We invite you to join us in learning more about pain in kids and what to do about it. 
 
Whenever I speak about pediatric pain, I get quizzical looks. "Chronic pain in kids? Really?" It's a common misconception that children and youth are immune to persistent pain. We know that persistent pain can affect children in many ways and that early intervention is key to prevent the pain spiral from taking hold. Persistent pain in children can have life altering consequences, affecting their ability to play, to go to school, to engage in sports, to develop skills, to develop and maintain friendships, and to participate in family life. 
 
Pain BC emphasizes the importance of early intervention and prevention and our focus on pediatric pain is part of that. What can we do about persistent pain in young people? We've already gotten started! Last year, we worked with the Complex Pain Service and Strategy and Innovation Office at BC Children's Hospital (BCCH) to create MyCarePath, an online pain self management program specifically for youth age 12 to 17. The program was created to reduce the Complex Pain Service waitlist, and get more kids the help they need sooner. Upon referral to the pain service, young people are immediately sent the program, although you don't need a referral to access it -- the website is open to anyone. Once you're there, MyCarePath delivers essential education around pain science, treatment options, and ways to take an active role in recovery. It also gives parents and teachers information to enable them to better support their children and students in pain. 
 
We're building on MyCarePath and exploring the creation of a peer coaching program for youth in pain. We know the power of peers - especially for young people. Stay tuned for more! 
 
What else is needed to better the lives of kids with persistent pain? Education to improve the care they receive in the health care system. That's where our Provincial Pediatric Pain Management Symposium comes in. Join Canada's foremost experts in pediatric pain for:
  • A public talk on the evening of September 22 with Dr. Margot Lattimer and John Sylliboy from the Aboriginal Children’s Hurt & Healing Initiative and Art for Healing, including Art from the Heart, a travelling artwork exhibition created by Aboriginal children
  • A free full day of clinical education (September 23) on the role of culture in care, preventing post-surgical pain, and applying best practice pain assessment and management 
  • A free half day focused (September 24) on integrating acute pain management into practice with children 
Videoconference will be available to locations outside the lower mainland. Register now and learn about how you can improve your understanding and care of pain in youth in our province!  Please email any questions to education@painbc.ca.
 
Register now to attend the Provicial Pediatric Pain Management Symposium for Free
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
Live Plan Be  Connect for Health
 
BCCDC Calls for Improved Pain Management to Reduce Overdose Deaths 
 
In a report released by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), 10 recommended areas for action have been identified to help prevent illegal drug overdoses and reduce the number of deaths occurring in the province. 
 
The recommendations, which include support for appropriate pain management therapies, are the result of the collaborative work of 130 participants in the 2017 BC Overdose Action Exchange meeting.
 
The report calls for:
  • Improved access to multidisciplinary, non-opioid pain management strategies, including counselling and physical therapy
  • Decreased wait times for referral services to pain clinics
  • A new PharmaCare plan to enable access to non-opioid pain therapies, including allied health modalities, such as physiotherapy
  • Enhanced access to integrated therapeutic models
  • Expanded initiatives that promote patient-centered care (including addictions and chronic pain)
  • Expanded alternative billing models to allow physicians more time to engage and manage complex patients appropriately
  • Access to culturally appropriate treatments and Indigenous healing services
  • Timely and easily accessible practice support to physicians regarding pain management
To read the full report from the BCCDC click here.
 
Technology@Work 
Neil Squire Society program supports employment for people with workplace barriers

The Neil Squire Society's Technology@Work Program supports people who have a work related barrier due to a disability or a functional limitation and who require Assistive Technology for employment or volunteer activities in British Columbia. People living with pain who need adaptive technology to function in the workplace may be eligible for this program.
 
Technology@Work will:
  • Work with you and your employer to find the best solution to remove a barrier for you in the workplace
  • Help you determine the Assistive Technology equipment, products, and services that will allow you to better perform your job tasks
  • Provide training, if required
  • Help to navigate you to other services and supports in the community to assist you in your employment situation
  • Provide you with the latest information about workplace Assistive Technology from our Resource Centre
Eligibility:
 
You must have a work related barrier due to a disability or a functional limitation which can be addressed by Assistive Technology. This may also include barriers related to traveling to and from the workplace. You must be a resident of and be legally entitled to work in British Columbia; be 16 years of age or older; currently be employed, self-employed, volunteering, or have a confirmed job offer. WorkBC clients and public sector employees are not eligible.
 
 
 
Chronic Pain Management Workshop for Chiropractors 
New two and a half-day workshop for chiropractors September 22-24
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Chronic and complex pain can be difficult to assess and may not adequately respond to chiropractic treatment.
 
Successful chronic pain treatment requires an intimate understanding of pain neurophysiology, a multidisciplinary and holistic approach to patient care, and specific knowledge of chiropractic treatment strategies.
 
About the Faculty:
Demetry Assimakopoulos, Sp. Hons. BA, DC, Dip. Acu., CSEP-CEP, Diplomate CAPM
 
Dr. Demetry Assimakopoulos is the Clinical Coordinator at the University Health Network (UHN) Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Comprehensive Integrated Pain Program. This specialized program deals with very complex cases of pain and how to manage it, with input from various health care professionals, in order to determine what pathways are best for individual patients.
 
Demetry was the first chiropractor to join the UHN Pain Program as an advanced practice leader and has helped to educate his peers about the role chiropractic has to play in the assessment and treatment of chronic pain patients. 
 
 
 
Transforming Pain; Restoring Health 
Langara College Continuing Studies course for people in pain and their families
 
Join a pain specialist Catherine Ralphs and movement specialist Eleanor Hannan as they
outline a foundation for wellness practices by blending Integral Yoga Psychology, derived
from Eastern science, and modern pain science. Integral Yoga Psychology explains how
to bridge the heart to the mind and body to build resilience that creates a foundation for
decreasing pain.
 
For more information contact Catherine at cralphs@langara.ca. To register phone Langara College at 604-323-5322 (CRN number 70051 - Cost $420.00).
 
New Pain Waves Podcast: Complimentary Therapies for Chronic Pain with Mihael Mamychshvili, RST 
Listen to the latest podscast
 
Mihael Mamychshvili is a Registered Master Shiatsu Therapist and owner of Angel Hands Integrative clinic. He talks to the Pain Waves podcast about the health benefits of working with various complementary therapies for people living with pain.
 
 
UPCOMING WEBINARS: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CIRPD
CIRPD logo 
Sept 13, 2017 - 11:00 am PDT
Inadequately treated acute pain can lead to an amplification of the pain system known as central sensitization. Recognizing and treating central sensitization can lead to less unnecessary tests and referrals and improvement in patient’s symptoms.
 
Sept 26, 2017 - 11:00 am PDT
Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) are emerging as promising treatments to reduce physical and emotional distress among individuals with chronic pain and studies now exist that document initial outcomes for children with chronic pain conditions.
 
Nov 29, 2017 - 11:00 am PDT
​More details and registra​tion coming so​​on...
 
Feb 27, 2018 - 11:00 am PDT
Treatment of chronic pain requires “multimodal analgesia,” a management plan that often requires pharmacological as well as nondrug therapies, and very importantly large measures of clinician guided patient self-management.
 
March 8, 2018 - 11:00 am PDT
Assisting workers in achieving a safe and sustainable return to work after illness or injury has always ​been an appropriate goal of treatment. However, North American workplaces are increasingly challenged with how to address prescription and over-the-counter medication use by employees.
 
Pain BC is a program partner for the Chronic Pain Webinar Series hosted by the Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability. 
 
UPCOMING PAIN BC & PARTNER EVENTS 
 
 
PAIN BC WEBINAR | CHRONIC PAIN IN THE ELDERLY
September 27, 2017  - 11 am PDT
With Martha Spencer, MD, FRCPC, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Providence Health Care.
This webinar will give practitioners some practical tools to help them in the recognition and treatment of pain in the geriatric population. 
 
BEST PRACTICE PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS 
This workshop is for Occupational Therapists interested in developing or enhancing sound clinical skills in the assessment and treatment of clients living with complex and chronic pain. 
In Victoria Oct 20-21, 2017  Register Now
In Vancouver Feb 23-24, 2018 Register Now
 
CHRONIC PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPISTS | VICTORIA
Oct 21 2017 - 8:30am to 4:30pm
This one-day, in-person workshop for Registered Massage Therapists will provide knowledge and practical skills to better treat clients living with persistent pain.
 
PAIN BC WEBINAR | HOW TO TALK TO CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS ABOUT NEUROPLASTICITY, CBT AND MINDFULNESS
Nov 9 2017 - 12pm
This webinar will share proven strategies for successful patient education about chronic pain, even in the shortest visits, in any clinical setting. 
 
 
 
Pain BC programs and initiatives are funded, in whole or in part, by the Government of British Columbia.
 
In the News
In the News 
 
 
People who have chronic widespread pain die earlier than those without chronic pain, reported new research from the United Kingdom, and lifestyle may play a significant role in their mortality.
 
A review of 80-plus studies upends the conventional wisdom.
 
Complex regional pain syndrome is a condition can be devastating, with burning pain that spreads, discoloration of a limb and the loss of function.
 
New research by economists in the United States and Iceland has put a price tag on what it’s worth to Americans to live without chronic pain.
 
 

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