What a Pain

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Abbie Jordan, a psychologist and researcher from Bath University, who has made significant contributions to the field of chronic pain research, particularly in paediatric settings. Abbie’s work is highly regarded for its originality and its close link to clinical practice, making it both impactful and relevant. A key topic of discussion is diagnosti...

Podcast Notes:  Chronic pain in the classroom Hosted by Glyn Williams and Konrad Jacobs In the introduction, Glyn and Konrad discuss Jonathan Haidt’s book ‘The Anxious Generation’. In this episode, we welcome Dr. Deirdre Logan, a pediatric psychologist from Boston Children's Hospital as our special guest, to discuss the impact of chronic pain on school functioning in children and adolescents....

Podcast Notes:  Autism and Pain: Breaking Down Barriers to Understanding and Treatment Hosted by Glyn Williams and Konrad Jacobs Guests:  Bethany Donaghy and David Moore from Liverpool John Moores University In the podcast introduction, Glyn discusses Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), an immunological condition. He notes that MCAS has gained attention from a pain perspective, particu...

Understanding Chronic Post-Surgical Pain in Children: A Multidimensional Approach Chronic pain after surgery is a significant issue that can profoundly impact the lives of children and their families. In this insightful episode of the "What a Pain" podcast, Dr. Fiona Campbell, an anesthesiologist and pain specialist from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, shares her expertise on persistent...

Unraveling the Mystery of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Teenagers Konrad starts the podcast by discussing an article that was published recently that discussed how artificial intelligence may be used in pain management. Chronic pelvic pain is a debilitating condition that affects a significant number of adolescent girls, often leading to missed school days, social isolation, and a profound impact on thei...

This is the season-ending 12th episode of the What a Pain Podcast. Glyn and Konrad are each other's special guests! They discuss their favourite place on earth, their pet hates (for Glyn this is people who say 'my bad', for Konrad it is the term 'medically unexplained symptoms'), their favourite articles/books, how they got into working in pain, and what they enjoy about their work. They also disc...

In this episode of the What a Pain podcast, we are pleased to introduce Professor Chris Eccleston, an academic from Bath University and a key contributor to the groundbreaking Lancet Commission published in 2021. With a substantial body of work, including 3 books and more than 280 research papers, he has solidified his reputation as a leading expert in health research, particularly in pain (manage...

In this episode, Konrad initially explains why he is an idiot. He then talks about a symposium he attended at the ISPP conference in Halifax about the use of virtual reality in chronic pain. He explains why he remains to be convinced. The main guest is Dr Jane McNicholas, a clinical psychologist at Great Ormond Street hospital in London who has experience working in a mental health unit as well as...

In this episode, Glyn and Konrad initially discuss a symposium in Halifax, Canada they both attended about readiness for change prior to attending a pain management programme. Many young people find it difficult to make the transition from thinking about their chronic pain as an acute problem to a chronic problem. The strategies for dealing with either are very different. Not all young people are...

Glyn and Konrad are at an international conference about pain in children and adolescents in Halifax, Canada. First, they discuss some of the talks they found interesting. Their main guest is Dr Susmita Kashikar-Zuck, from Cincinnatti Children's Hospital and the university of Cincinnatti. They talk about 3 of the most interesting findings from her own research, and then discuss what happens to chi...

In this episode, Glyn and Konrad initially discuss an animation that was made by Verena Hinze, researcher at the University of Oxford. This animation is about teenagers with chronic pain giving advice to other teenagers with chronic pain. The link to the animation on Youtube can be found below. Next, they talk to Professor Suellen Walker. She is regarded as a world-wide expert on neuropathic pain...

In this episode, Glyn and Konrad talk to Sofi Fateh. Sofi is now 18, but developed chronic widespread pain when she was 12. Having seen many doctors, having had many tests and scans and different treatments which did not work, she finally entered a pain rehabilitation programme. Sofi explains her pain journey. Sofi's story is interesting, fascinating, emotional and tells us much about the journeys...

In this episode, Glyn and Konrad talk to Sofi Fateh. Sofi is now 18, but developed chronic widespread pain when she was 12. Having seen many doctors, having had many tests and scans and different treatments which did not work, she finally entered a pain rehabilitation programme. Sofi explains her pain journey. Sofi's story is interesting, fascinating, emotional and tells us much about the journeys...

In this episode, Glyn and Konrad continue to talk to Julia Smith, specialist physiotherapist, and Anne Marie van Es, specialist occupational therapist. Both of them work at the Oxford Centre for Children and Young People in Pain (OXCYPP). They discuss the evidence base for their work, pacing in some depth, when to stop seeing patients, the difference between functional and biomechanical outcomes a...

In this episode, Glyn and Konrad talk to Julia Smith, specialist physiotherapist, and Anne Marie van Es, specialist occupational therapist. Both of them work at the Oxford Centre for Children and Young People in Pain (OXCYPP). They discuss how they perceive their roles within a pain management programme, how it differs from the way they were trained and from the way OTs and PTs in other areas may...

In this podcast, Glyn and Konrad discuss a book Glyn has been reading about the Sackler family. They are then joined by Dr Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert from the Bath Centre for Pain Services to talk about chronic pain and autism. We discussed the relationship between chronic pain and autism, pain management with young people with ASD, what is nice about working with young people with ASD, but also Lap...

In this pilot episode we will be discussing why we started doing this podcast. We will also have a discussion with Dr Alison Bliss, consultant paediatric anaesthetist at Leeds General Hospital and lead for the paediatric pain management service in Leeds. We had a fascinating discussion about her journey into pain, her service, barbecues on fire, and complex patients. Glyn and Konrad also found the...