People from all walks of life have discovered the life-changing benefits of self-managing pain effectively

Course provides hope and encouragement for people trying to manage chronic pain. Includes lots of general advice, suggestions and techniques for coping, including exercise, stretching, mindfulness, guided meditation and ‘thought management’. Very well presented by a team of experts.

The course was OK for me. But with my memory I kept forgetting to log on but it was useful in some aspects.

I have chronic mental and physical health/illness. It would have been helpful to have have had hard copies of the course supplied as Long Covid has left me with chronic fatigue blurred sight. I would have found it easier to re-read through each section this way and keep notes instead of on my phone.

I was some what hesistant to give this course a try, as I felt that I had tried so many things including medication and injections and nothing helped; so how could this help. Once I got started on the course, I very quickly got drawn in to the expert advice, stretches and psychological thinking. I learned how to cope better when I experienced flare ups or was in pain. I now wake up 10 mins earlier to do my stretches, I am conscious of how long I sitting when I am at work, so I move around more. I have definitely noticed improvements and I now experience more milder pain.

I really enjoyed doing the course, it gave me the inspiration to try to help myself, Many thanks

I have done mindfulness and meditation before and was very sceptical that they could overcome my pain. But they do. If I'm in pain and my painkillers aren't helping, I do the full relaxation meditation and feel much better at the end of it. There was a slide near the beginning about the Limbic system, but it was never referred to again. I wonder what the relevance of that was?

Interesting to talk to someone with knowledge and to find out this new information but it didn't at all help with my pain and me understanding it and and it didn't help to ease it. Feel sort of low that this was the last resort and it didn't help

Very helpful but some I can’t open ie 20 /21as away and would like to listen to them maybe you can advice on how to do it. Thanks

Great that its immediately accessible and some useful tips - worth doing.

This app has been great however I feel it’s always a dead end! I don’t feel my pain is any different however I do have better days but believe at present it’s down to seasonal changes as well as modified movements from this app.

I was sceptical about this course at the beginning but I have found it very helpful on a couple of levels. First, information. It has made a big difference understanding about how pain is communicated to the brain and the importance of displacement activity. Even more so, understanding that pain does not mean damage. Secondly, some of the techniques, especially relaxation and breathing, do make a difference. I was already taking quite a lot of exercise, particularly walking (with poles) swimming and Pilates so the physical exercises were less relevant to me. There's a lot of truth in the saying "if you don't use it you lose it"!

I thought oh no not another pointless session, but I was pleasantly surprised with how interesting and everyone was so helpful, I learnt a lot and would definately recommend this course

A well put together, easy to follow course. I like the library and that I can save downloads too. I am doing most of the things suggested but still learnt some new things as well.

It was definitely worth trying but could have been better to try and incorporate more about people still working and trying to get through day to day working life . I've always been a hard worker and this course has helped me to understand that I do too much. I couldn't take extra breaks as I haven't got the most understanding boss so I found just taking my time a bit more helped.

I was very unsure about whether this course was for me, would it help me at all, but I do feel that it has...I have found the relaxation and meditation very helpful and relaxing, in fact I had a full night of undisturbed sleep after doing the sleep exercise,the first good night's sleep I've had in months. I am going through a very difficult and upsetting time at the moment with my elderly parents, it has been very stressful but the relaxation and meditation has proved so valuable. I'm sure the situation I'm dealing with at the moment has added to my pain but when I get into bed I put one of the exercises on through my headphones and I am certainly much more relaxed afterwards. I think every step has made me think and understand more about the pain I'm often in, and also has helped me deal with it in different ways. I am very thankful I was invited onto the course and do without doubt think that I have, and will continue to, benefited from it. I will continue to view the steps when I'm struggling and will definitely be using the relaxation and meditation steps often. Thankyou to everyone involved

Having used meditation apps in past and finding them to be droning and condescending, I was a little sceptical about the mindfulness and targeted relaxation steps on the course. But, I just can’t praise them enough. So relaxing that I occasionally fall asleep, but I find that these steps work wonders for detracting from pain I did this course in a week and plan to visit my library regularly to follow the steps

Thanks 

Very easy to complete

Pathway through pain has definitely been the best pain management course I've been on. It's been great to do it in the comfort of my own home and at my own pace. It's helped me understand the way I've been dealing with pain is not always the best approach and has given me many different strategies to try, and some are already working. Thank you for putting this program together. I hope it helps many more people like me.

Having been in pain for over 25 years I have dealt with it in many ways either through medication, pain clinic, various therapies i.e. acupuncture, botox. Pain is so different on each day of my life effecting different parts of my body. It is something I have dealt with on a personal basis causing me stress and depression. Medication causes weight gain which in turn is another factor that goes with pain.

I feel this course is very much a 'one size fits all' program. It seems to me to focus more on the back area than anything else. EG the neck exercises are the very movements that start the pain off for me!. I feel it would be much better to have a few different courses each covering a different body area, EG 1 x Head/neck and shoulders, 1 x Upper back, 1 x Lower back, 1 x legs, 1 x arms

Thank you for this course I found the mindfulness and Guided Meditation very useful it is now my go to when I am feeling anxious and also when I can’t get to sleep at night through pain and my mind racing it helps to clear my mind and relax my tense body leaving me feeling relaxed and if it’s in the middle of the night Iv usually drifted back of to sleep which is wonderful thank you for this.

It is worth doing

It is worth doing