More pain sites over time = greater risk of work disability

It struck me today, as I spent a little time with two people who have been returned to Pain Management Centre for a review of their progress, that something we don’t do very well is help people distinguish between an acute or new problem and what might be a flare-up of the old chronic problem. [...]

Travel to interesting places online!

Today’s post is about some of the interesting links you can find online.  Mostly links to do with brains, psychology and pain – but not all!
Genes to Cognition Online – featuring the 3-D brain, lovely interactive graphical interface to burrow down into really interesting topics like cognitive processes, disorders, research approaches and neuroimaging research, you [...]

Overcoming Pain – David Hall’s new book!

Every now and then you run into someone who makes a real impact on you – Dave’s one of those people.  I met him in Sydney at the International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress in 2005 (take a look here at the information on the next one), and we’ve intermittently kept in [...]

Habit at Work

I don’t know how I managed to miss linking into this web-based resource all about the aches and pains we get while we work! Take a look at Habit at Work – and yes, it’s developed by ACC, but don’t hold that against it.
It’s a nice, simple web design, with a [...]

On the evidence for decisions about the use of therapeutic interventions

You might have seen a theme emerging this week in my posts – clinical reasoning, evidence-base for treatments, balance between science and art … I came across this rather weighty document today in which Professor Sir Michael David Rawlins presents THE HARVEIAN ORATION Delivered before the Fellows of The Royal College of Physicians of [...]

How often do you turn to journals for information?

If you’ve been a browser through my blog you’ll see that I’m an information junkie.  I just can’t help myself – if there’s information out there, I want to look at it!  I regularly get journal contents pages sent to me, browse the ‘article in press’ sections of e-journals, use MedWorm RSS and generally get [...]

‘Psychosocial’ – is it Pandora’s box?

I’ve been reading a paper written by Cam Crawford about GP’s use of the ‘Yellow Flags’, or psychosocial risk factors for identifying ‘at risk’ patients. It seems clear from his sample of GP’s that few of them are comfortable with the Guidelines as they are presented – and that their discomfort arises for quite [...]

Education, information and a cognitive behavioural approach to pain management

For over 10 years now, I’ve winced every time someone has suggested that I’m ‘teaching’ when I facilitate pain management groups.  Something about the word ‘teach’ gives me the heebie-jeebies – and I have nothing against teachers!
I think it’s the flavour of me being some sort of ‘expert’ giving information or education to others.  I [...]

Quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy

I was taking a moment or two to looked through some of my RSS feeds, and came across this post on the quality of diagnostic accuracy.  QUADAS stands for:

Q – Quality
A – Assessment of
D – Diagnostic
A – Accuracy
S – Studies

It’s especially developed for people who use physical assessment, and in this post written by physiotherapist [...]

Biofeedback races: an activity to develop self regulation

I’ve written once or twice on biofeedback as I’ve used it, but I thought today I’d share an exciting idea that one of my colleagues (you know who you are!) came up with to help participants on our pain management programme get practice using their skills in a fun sort of way.
We’re a bit lucky [...]