Pain Waves

Chronic pain is a challenging condition to live with on its own – unfortunately, many people living with pain also face mental health challenges. On this episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Tristen Wybou, Pain BC’s Coaching for Health lead, who has lived and professional experience facing chronic pain and mental health concerns.  He shares with us the correlation between pain and me...

Not long ago, researchers would only involve people with lived experience in their work as research participants. Nowadays, patient engagement has become an essential part of the research process, but many researchers are unfamiliar with how to incorporate the patient perspective.   On this episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dawn Richards, the Director of Patient and Public Engagem...

Living with chronic pain can be an overwhelming experience. While no two bodies are the same, self-management is an invaluable tool many people living with pain find empowering and effective at improving their quality of life. Pain Canada’s new program, LivePlanBe+, is a free, virtual and self-paced tool aimed at people living with pain who are interested in developing their self-management skills...

Our understanding of opioids has changed dramatically in the past decade. The pendulum swing of policy guidelines and best practice has left many health care providers unsure how to best support patients with chronic pain. Pain Canada’s new program, Effective Prescribing of Opioids for Chronic Pain (EPOCH), aims to bridge that gap. This month on the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Kathleen...

What does the future of pain care look like in Canada? This National Pain Awareness Week, we’re joined by Natasha Trehan of Take a Pain Check, a podcast, non-profit organization and virtual community for youth and young adults living with rheumatic diseases. She tells us about the inspiration for Take a Pain Check, her work with Pain Canada, and the importance of raising awareness of chronic pain...

Eight million people in Canada live with pain, an experience that can be isolating. One of the goals of the brand new Putting the Pieces Together conference – designed by people living with pain, for people living with pain – is to create new connections and community. This month on the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Jenny Lorca, a somatic therapist, Pain BC volunteer, and a member of the ste...

As many as twenty percent of British Columbians live with pain from a condition known as IBS – irritable bowel syndrome. While heavily stigmatized, raising awareness of IBS and similar conditions can help increase funding for more research and future treatments. This month on the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Gail Attara, the president of the GI society, who talks to us about what IBS is, re...

Providing appropriate care for chronic pain, mental health and substance use can be challenging to health care providers. That’s where programs like the BC Adaptive Mentorship Network come in, pairing experienced health care Mentors with Mentees in order to build their capacity to better support British Columbians with complex health concerns. On this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’...

On January 1st of 2022, the World Health Organization unveiled their new classification standards for diseases. For the first time ever, they have recognized chronic pain as a condition. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Maria Hudspith, the co-chair of the Canadian Pain Task Force, and Rolf Detlef-Treede, who lead the work on the WHO recognition of chronic pain. Th...

From cold weather to social stress, winter and the holidays often present challenges for people living with pain. Are there tips and tricks to make it easier? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Danielle Harrison, a registered social worker and the Pain Support Line lead at Pain BC. She talks to us about how to stay connected to loved ones, set boundaries with friend...

Research into chronic pain is, relatively speaking, quite young – there’s a lot science still doesn’t understand. Could there be a connection between where you are on the globe, circadian rhythms, and pain? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Nader Ghasemlou, the principle investigator for the upcoming national Circa Pain study, as well as Hailey Gowdy, the gradu...

An important part of pain research is patient partnership, where researchers work with people with lived experience to understand their perspectives. While patient partners are invaluable to research projects, some feel tokenized -- like their voices are included but largely ignored. How can we change this? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Dawn Richards, a res...

Studies have shown that men in the Western world are less likely to seek help for medical conditions, leading to poorer health and higher mortality rates. When it comes to men who live with pain, how does masculinity impact getting the help they need? In this month’s episode of the Painwaves Podcast, we’re joined by the new host, Leah Smith, and Dwayne Patmore, a patient advocate, veteran and man...

Children can form memories of pain from as early as birth and, once formed, these memories can play a powerful role in shaping future pain and health care experiences. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Melanie Noel, an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Calgary. She talks to us about her latest research on children’s memories of pai...

The Canadian Pain Task Force (CPTF) is an external advisory body that has been helping the Government of Canada better understand and address the needs of people living with chronic pain since its inception in March of 2019. The final report from the Task Force, An Action Plan for Pain in Canada, was released to the public on May 5, 2021. The plan lays out recommendations for targeted actions nece...

Musculoskeletal injuries – from car accidents, workplace injuries, sports injuries, and more – are a leading cause of chronic pain, with an estimated 15-50% of people reporting experiencing pain 12 months following a musculoskeletal injury. On this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by two guests to learn more about the SYMBIOME Project. Dave Walton, Lead Researcher and Direct...

It’s well known that practicing yoga can provide many benefits to both the body and mind, but did you know research suggests that yoga therapy can be an especially helpful tool for managing pain? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by two guests to learn more about the benefits of yoga therapy for managing chronic pain. Neil Pearson, Physiotherapist, Yoga Therapist and...

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are thirteen subtypes of rare connective tissue disorders characterized by numerous debilitating symptoms, including chronic pain. Sadly, current gaps in dedicated health care and research for EDS leave many Canadians living with these chronic illnesses undiagnosed or undertreated. On this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by three guests to lear...

Canadian Armed Forces members devote their lives to serving their country, often at great costs to their personal health and well-being. Research from Veteran Affairs Canada indicates veterans are twice as likely to experience chronic pain when compared to the general population. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Tom Hoppe, a patient advocate and veteran who lives...

Research shows that Black people are disproportionately impacted by pain and less likely to receive appropriate care when compared to white people. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by researcher Dr. Kimberley Kaseweter and pain advocate Desmond Williams to learn about how racism and discrimination affect Black Canadians when accessing health care for pain management....

The Canadian Pain Task Force is an external advisory body that has been helping the Government of Canada better understand and address the needs of people living with chronic pain since its inception in March of 2019. The Task Force recently delivered its second report - Working together to better understand, prevent and manage pain: What we heard - to Health Canada following extensive consultatio...

While the link between chronic pain and the BC overdose crisis may not be widely understood, unmanaged pain can be a significant driver of substance use. In fact, nearly half of those who have died of overdose in BC had sought help to manage pain in the year prior to their death. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Alexis Crabtree from the BC Centre for Disease C...

Many people living with pain find peer support programs help them to feel heard and understood, and reduce their feelings of isolation and helplessness that often accompany pain. In this month's episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we discuss how our free Pain Support and Wellness Groups are providing people in pain with opportunities to meet regularly online and build a community of support while l...

Orofacial pain – pain that occurs in the mouth, jaw, face, or head – impacts approximately 22-26% of the population but is not always well understood due to the complex structures and functions involved in the region. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by dental experts PJ Murphy and Alberto Babiloni to learn about what orofacial pain is, influencing factors and underl...

People who live with chronic pain commonly report experiencing issues with sleep and, conversely, poor sleep can make it more difficult to manage pain. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by two experts, Dr. Josh Rash and Dr. Gilles Lavigne, to learn about how pain and sleep impact each other, sleep disorders that are common among people in pain, and what common treatme...