Chronic Pain Resources: Blogs, Podcasts, Books and Support Programs

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When we're looking for answers about our health, where do many of us turn first? The internet. But while online resources can provide valuable information and support, they can also be overwhelming—and sometimes misleading. Finding trustworthy, evidence-based information can feel like a challenge in itself. 

In this jam-packed article, we help you find some of the best evidence-based sources and the solutions-focused lived experience bloggers filled with practical tips for daily life, pain management, and the latest resources to help you live well with chronic pain. 

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How to Find Reliable Chronic Pain Information

Research suggests changing attitudes to pain (which may come from reading some of these blogs) can help reduce pain and increase quality of life[1] - so, here are some of our favorites when it comes to chronic pain resources. (And, it goes without saying, the MoreGoodDays blog is packed with this kind of information!)

A word of curious caution, if you hit the links and find yourself down an interesting rabbit hole, don't forget two important things:

·  Pace yourself. Please look up from the phone/computer every now and again, stretch and take a break. Even pacing your information intake is recommended!

·  Keep it light. This list is just for information purposes and is not meant to send you off into an intense research marathon. We know that bringing a sense of intensity can signal danger to the nervous system, so just do your best to stay light and curious. Perhaps just bookmark this page and come back periodically. Just like a block of chocolate, consuming all in one sitting is not recommended!

The resources below reflect a range of evidence-based, lived experience and whole-person approaches to pain care. Often hand-picked by me as someone who has read, listened or enjoyed these resources. We know that not every approach will resonate with every person as pain is such a unique experience. And that's okay. We encourage you to bring your own curiosity, a sense of self-compassion towards your experience and feel very free to discuss any ideas or decisions with your trusted healthcare team. 

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Evidence-Based Chronic Pain Resources

  • Integrative Pain Science Institute - This is one of my go-to sources of reliable, evidence-based information all about pain and pain science. Dr. Joe Tatta really understands the complexity of pain and pain care. The website provides an excellent combination of lived experience stories, latest treatment options from a wide range of therapists and free resources for both practitioners and people living with pain. Highly recommend his Pain Science Education Podcast too (many of these resources could fit under multiple headings!).
  • Pain Literacy - This blog has a surprisingly large amount of information, as well as a humorous and frank approach to providing quality pain science information. Dr Kal Fried is on a mission to boost people's understanding of chronic pain and brings an interesting non-interventionist approach.
  • Chronic Pain Australia - Plenty of resources and fact sheets from the ‘voice of the 3.68 million Australians living with chronic pain.’ A great annual data collection and analysis (National Pain Survey) and stories of people with lived experience.
  • Dr Adele Stewart - Adele has an extremely detailed website of resources available which is testament to her commitment to supporting people living with pain. Adele generously shares these resources culminating from her extensive experience as a GP, personal pain journey, compassionate approach, as well as her thorough professional training. These evidence-based resources are extremely helpful for anyone navigating what can be a challenging and often confusing journey through the health system.
  • Breathworks UK - Founded by the amazing and inspiring lived experience advocate, Viyamala Burch, Breathworks are a charity providing support for people living with pain and illness. If you are interested in knowing more about how mindfulness can help with pain, this website has useful tips, tools and reflections - as well as latest research, information and interviews with people living with pain. 
  • Creaky Joints - Run by a collection of amazing lived experience volunteers, this is a page full of information for people with rheumatoid conditions (and broader chronic pain). The content includes tips, resources and is geared towards positive solutions and latest research.
  • Health Skills - Hard to decide which section to put this because the author, Dr Bronwyn Lennox Thompson is both a practitioner with many years’ experience supporting people to self-manage pain, a researcher and living with her own chronic condition. This blog contains stories and tips on coping skills as well as support for occupational therapists. 
  • Pain Science - Self-identified as the Game of Thrones of pain science blogs, this is a beast of a resource. As a science journalist and someone living with pain, Paul Ingraham provides ‘detailed, evidence-based guides to common painful problems & reviews of the (tragically flawed) treatment options.’ Embedded in science, the information here covers many conditions and treatments.
  • Pain Revolution - The grassroots charity initiative founded by Prof Lorimar Moseley and the UniSA crew aiming to improve access to modern pain science and best-practice care, particularly for people in rural and regional areas. The website is full of heaps of relevant pain facts and resources.

 

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Lived Experience Blogs: People Who Get It

  • The Princess in the Tower - A quality blog written with lived experience of  Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), fibromyalgia and chronic pain, providing honest reflections on living with an invisible illness, support for caregivers, quality condition specific information, advocacy ideas as well as solutions-focused ideas for support and living well.
  • Chronic Pain Champions - Tom Bowen shares excellent self-management strategies, support and advocacy. I love his ‘who’s driving’ analogy which we also use as an easy to understand analogy for taking control of your own health journey (see healing obstacles blog). The blogs have clear pain science embedded and strong encouragement for empowered learning.
  • Pain toolkit - Pete is a force to be reckoned with. Much like me, after learning self pain management techniques via a structured hospital program, he became a convert and advocate. This Pain toolkit includes online pain self-management workshops, for both patients and healthcare professionals, to enhance their pain self-management skills. The website contains a great collection of tools, resources and information.
  • My Cuppa Jo - Amazingly dedicated pain advocate, Jo Belton shares her musings on pain and is passionate about including the voices of lived experience in all aspects of healthcare. She was involved in this fabulous fact sheet about partnering with people with lived experience and her blog contains excellent reflections specifically around fear, identity and the (HUGE) difference knowledge of pain science can make.
  • Pudendal Nerve - Soula passionately and honestly shares her story of living with pain and also the many challenges experiencing the workers compensation system. She also founded My Health Story, a health tech platform to help people with chronic illness. The blog contains a range of resources and information in Soula’s signature creative style. 
  • Arthritic Chick - Sharing the raw and everyday experiences of living with pain, this blog provides personal experience, and strong advocacy for better access to pain management treatments and understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of pain.
  • Restoring Venus - Author, educator & pain coach, Amy Eicher, puts her lived experience to use in this detailed and encouraging blog. A true survivor, she advocates for staying active, taking control of your own health story and using a biopsychosocial understanding for the experience of pain.
  • Chronic Babe - ChronicBabe, Jenni Prokopy, empowers those living with pain to live life to its fullest despite illness. She shares her own lived experience including the many self management approaches she uses including exercise, diet, meditation, cognitive therapy, physical therapy, and biofeedback training to live well with fibromyalgia and other conditions. And she does it all with a creative and colourful flair - there are no rules to living well.
  • Raelan Agle - This youtube channel is dedicated to providing stories of hope and recovery from conditions such as chronic fatigue and long covid. If success stories help keep you motivated, check these out.

  

Courses and Support Services

  • Pain to Peace - Delivered by The Australian Centre for Mindfulness and Compassion, this is an online 8-week program drawing on evidence-based pain science and mindfulness meditation practice to transform your pain. 
  • PRT Healing Workshop - Delivered by the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, this is an online 8-week educational healing workshop designed to rewire your brain, break the pain-fear cycle, and reclaim your life from chronic pain and embrace recovery in an expertly facilitated, peer-supported setting.
  • PAINLINK HELPLINE - Operated by Chronic Pain Australia. Call 1300 340 357 for a call back service (operating 8:00am-1:00pm AEST Monday to Friday)

If you (or someone you know) are experiencing suicidal thoughts or in an urgent mental health crisis, please reach out for support immediately. See here for a full international list of Crisis Support Helplines

 

Our Favourite Chronic Pain Podcasts

Podcasts were my go-to when my kids were little (and still to this day!). I would head out into the neighborhood, earbuds in and walk and learn. There are so many great podcasts out there, but here are just a few of our faves:

  • Empowered Beyond Pain podcast (now retired -sad face!). When I was really struggling with a bad flare up that hit in late 2019 and forced me to resign from a job I loved, I was planning to spend 2020 as my year of health…um – bad timing? On the recommendation of my amazing physio, this podcast got me through covid lockdowns at a time when I was feeling particularly vulnerable to pain without access to my usual support network. The information shared here, with the particular focus on their 10 scientific facts every person should know about back pain[2], were a real breath of fresh air, reminding me I was safe and had many things within my control.
  • The mind-body couple. Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic symptoms but Tanner also has his own recovery journey healing from chronic pain. Down to earth and evidence-based, the couple (yep, they’re married!) share assessment information, brain retraining tools and many practical recovery tools – with many recovery success interviews as well.
  • Like Mind, Like Body. Sponsored by Curable app, this podcast discusses the many ways our thoughts, emotions and behaviours all impact chronic pain. With interviews with leading physicians, researchers and lived experience recovery stories, this podcast shares the power of the mind-body connection.
  • The Cure for Chronic Pain – Nicole Sachs, founder of the JournalSpeak approach, certainly doesn’t hold back. She tells you how it is but somehow also is both empathic, empowering and full of practical tips and tools to help explore the relationship between emotions, stress and persistent symptoms. Her new book is great too – check it out in the section below.
  • Unstoppable Body and Mind – Betty Jensen presents science based strategies and life coaching tools to help you feel better using a pain reprocessing / mind-body approach.
  • Moved to Meditate - Addie deHilster provides an enjoyable podcast including discussions all about meditation, movement practices, and ways to find more balance and presence in daily life. It's full of interviews with a range of experts as well as practical tools to start moving (gently) your way, today. 
  • https://neuroplastic.org/  The home of the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS) provides support, research and hope for the treatment of neuroplastic symptoms. Great podcasts available:
  • The Modern Pain Podcast - Hosted by Mark Kargela , this podcast talks all about ways to help both clinicians and people living with pain to better understand and treat pain. It's a good combination of interviews with clinicians, researchers and lived experience stories as well as Mark’s own unique take on the current state of pain care. 
  • Beyond the Pelvis Podcast - explores holistic and mind-body approaches to living with chronic pain, featuring conversations with experts in areas such as somatic healing, breathwork, and other integrative therapies. Hosted by somatic experiencing practitioner and breathwork facilitator,  Laura Haraka.  

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Books About Pain Science

  • The Way Out by Alan Gordon
  • Outsmart Your Pain by Christiane Wolf
  • Back Up by Liam Mannix
  • Mindfulness for Health by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman
  • Why Does It Still Hurt? by Paul Biegler
  • The Pain Management Workbook by Rachel Zoffness
  • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
  • Explain Pain by Moseley and Butler
  • Mind Your Body by Nicole Sachs
  • The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body by Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins
  • Unlearn Your Pain: The Science of Recovering from Chronic Pain, Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression by Howard Schubiner

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Books About Mindfulness

  • Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
  • Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
  • Trusting the Gold by Tara Brach
  • Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
  • Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
  • Your Heart Was Made for This by Oren Jay Sofer
  • The Craving Mind by Jud Brewer

Books with Personal Stories

  • Ten Pathways by Fleur Chambers
  • The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
  • I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart

 None of the above – just need a smile or a drop of inspiration? We already have a list of some of our favourite quotes. 

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Looking for More Support?

We believe in sharing positive, evidence-based tools, strategies and resources so that we can help drive our mission – “to help people living with persistent pain get their lives back” and to do that, we need to work collaboratively and compassionately and ensure that quality pain care is more accessible. If you know of some good resources to add here, please reach out to us via hello@moregooddays.com. 

If you're looking for science-backed support to help you better understand and manage chronic pain, we're here to help. Our whole-person pain programs combine education, movement, psychology and lifestyle support to help you improve function, wellbeing and quality of life - all from the comfort of your home. 

Take the first step toward managing your pain and check your suitability today!

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Chronic Pain