Have a couple of aches and pains (reconstructed shoulder, metalwork, spinal injury) that have been with me for many years and starting to get pretty wearing. The NHS have done all they can (and they’ve been pretty good) and I’ve pursued the private route too. Had a mix of ops, medication, physio, Pilates and similar, alternative, lifestyle stuff etc. My flexibility/core strength etc is deemed ‘very good’ (physio words not mine!) and I do this every day.

The option now for pain management seems to be medication which I’m slightly hesitant about as much that I get relief, it does knock me out a fair bit and the do age is relatively high.

My osteo suggested I consider CBT … beyond Googling, no experience of this … anyone able to enlighten a wee bit?

Thanks

No sure about CBT but my mother had very good results from a pain management clinic. Its all about teaching you to cope with pain and effectively switch it off. I don’t know the ins and outs but I know it helped her a lot with back pain

Cbt as far as I’m aware usually used for mental health issues so that a person can gain insight and perspective into their situation. My sisters used it to help with stress/panic attacks. With some sucess it has to be said- she still has her moments but overall seems better at managing now.
never heard of it being used in the kinda situation you describe but it might be worth a go!
I would add that pain clinics are also quite effective- helped my mum cope with the various age-related problems she has.

Cbt for pain management is evidence based and is showing good results
Sometimes it is called “expert patient pain management program” or “w-pain toolkit”. It it works in a similar way to the mental health side in its more about controlling your pain and changing the way you respond to it. Probably best accessed through gp referral to I apt.

Have a look at http://www.paintoolkit.org for more info

Hope that helps,

Jim (husband of Cbt therapist)

I had 12 months of cbt for my bipolar and to be honest it was a waste of time for me.
Try it out. If it doesn’t work at least you’ll know.

Another therapy that’s gaining support for pain management is Mindfulness based meditation. It’s not all woo, joss sticks and orange robes – there’s some evidence to support its effectiveness. GPs more likely to go the CBT route though.

I know a few people who’ve tried CBT for mental health issues – some with success, some without. A lot depends on how you react to it, how you get on with the therapist, how much work you put in outside the sessions etc.

There are various psychological pain management techniques, including CBT, Mindfulness, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and if you have a joined up service, these will be used alongside other approaches such as medication. I don’t know what is available in your area, but chase up the NHS again.

Psychological treatment is not airy-fairy; it’s very pragmatic and can help some chronic pain problems that have not responded to traditional medical pain management. Definitely worth a go.

thanks all, will chase my GP

slightly left field but try acupuncture for the pain relief…..worked for me

x2 For Acupuncture great help on my back pain and helped when i was going through a rough patch too, well worth it.

Aus – there evidence for both CBT and acupuncture in chronic pain…
If you’re near the south, I can recommend a good medical acupuncturist!
(Not me BTW)

DrP

I have to admit I’d always been super sceptical about CBT, then having a pretty nasty episode with mental health issues I was referred by my GP.

In a word magic it really worked for me, certainly give it a punt.