Pain

If you’re a young person living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or another musculoskeletal condition, or you’re the carer of a young person living with one of these conditions, you’ll know that pain can be a big part of your day-to-day life. Which basically sucks.

That’s why we’ve put together some helpful resources that you can dip into when things get tough. Whether you’re new to living with pain and wondering what it’s all about or you’re a seasoned pro who’s looking for some new tips, we’ve got you covered.

Have you checked out some of our fabulous webinars on pain? Listen to pain expert Dr Josh Pate’s webinar titled ‘Learning about the amazing science of pain’  You can also hear from the team at SKiP who presented a webinar titled ‘Promoting healthy function during flares and fatigue‘ and another titled ‘Being active with pain‘ from  ‘the two Nicoles’ Nicole Haynes, APA National Paediatric Group Chair, Director – Q Paediatrics, Paediatric Physio & Nicole Pates, WA APA Paediatric Group Chair, Director Western Kids Health. 

If you’d like to take a look at Josh’s books ‘Zoe and Zak’s Pain Hack’s’ you can view/buy them here

PainBytes is a terrific website designed to help you gain a better insight into your pain. There’s a whole section for young people and one for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people too. It includes some great videos from young people who share their experience of living with pain.

Tame the Beast is a fabulous video from Lorimer Mosely about how pain can quickly grow out of control and what we can do about it.

If you missed our MSK Kids webinar on dealing with chronic pain, by psychologist Megan Davis, it’s a must!

Check out ‘Understanding pain in less than 5 minutes’, this video provides a quick, easy-to-understand explanation of pain. A great one to share with family and friends.

In 2018 we were lucky enough to have Prof Lorimer Mosely present our annual Koadlow Lecture on “Pain, the brain and your amazing protectometer”. Lorimer has worked with people in pain for over 25 years, has written hundreds of articles, lots of books and presents to audiences around the world. So he really knows what he’s talking about.

Check out our fabulous and fun A-Z guide to managing pain and ebook. It will literally give you tips to help you manage your pain from A to Z.

We also have other pain related resources on our website such as this blog and info sheet on persistent pain, as well as our beautiful children’s book The Worst Pain in the World.

One of our MSK Kids Young Ambassadors, Thalia, shares her top 5 pain tips.

If you’re aged between 13-20 come and join Teen Talk! an online platform for young people to share with others who “get it”.

CHYP, Creative Healing for Youth in Pain, is an online, US-based not-for-profit for teens with chronic pain and their parents, providing educational resources, webinars and creative healing experiences.

SKiP – Support Kids in Pain – is a Queensland based not-for-profit with a program that entitles a young person to SIX multidisciplinary team care sessions free of charge. Sessions involve input from a pain medicine specialist, psychologist, physiotherapist and occupational therapist working together with each young person and family.

SKiP  have an excellent new resource for you to check out – Returning to school with persistent pain: Information for schools, families & health professionals. 

Our friends at Pain Australia have some useful resources for young people.

Dr Sherry, from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, has an extensive set of videos that guide you through the treatment of children with AMPS. Check them out.

Did you know that when your child lives with chronic pain, how you react as a parent can affect your child’s response to pain? Check out these coping strategies and this article from the team at Arthritis Foundation USA for tips and strategies to help you manage.

If you feel that your child would benefit from seeing a specialist in a pain clinic, speak to their rheumatologist or GP for a referral. There are nine paediatric pain clinics throughout Australia.

• Westmead Hospital 
• Sydney Children’s Hospital 
• John Hunter Hospital 
• Queensland Children’s Hospital  
• St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane 
• Women’s and Children’s Hospital Adelaide 
• Perth Children’s Hospital 
• Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne 
• Monash Children’s Hospital