The Most Painful Podcast

The 2019 Life After Service Study* shows Canadian Veterans suffer from chronic pain twice that of the Canadian population. The study also indicates women Veterans suffer from chronic pain twice that of male Veterans. But, how does pain impact women in service compared to men? To explore this topic in more depth, Tom Hoppe is joined by Luc J. Hébert, host of the French version of The Most Painful P...

Having access to good pain management in a clinic is important to help a person living with chronic pain. However, if you do not have a pain clinic in your area or cannot get access to a clinic, what are some options available to you to help with your pain? On today's episode, Tom Hoppe is joined by Rosemary Wilson from Queens University and Racheal Bosma from Women’s College and Toronto Universit...

Strength training helps maintain muscle mass, helps with balance, mobility, and longevity. However, when someone suffers from chronic pain how does that person do strength training in a safe manner? On this episode of The Most Painful Podcast, host Tom Hoppe is joined by Leroy Ho, a physiotherapist, to help us understand the proper way to strength train when suffering from chronic pain. Other reso...

We know that Veterans live with chronic pain at twice the rate of the general population. One form of chronic pain that both Veterans and civilians live with is osteoarthritis. But, what can you do to treat or help people have a better quality of life if they have osteoarthritis? On todays episode, Tom Hoppe is joined by Dr. Eugene Maida who is with the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilita...

Veterans may be familiar with the term Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI with cases being linked to overseas deployment and roadside blasts, but what is a TBI? How does it impact a person? Is a TBI the same as a concussion? On this episode, Tom Hoppe is joined by Lyn Turkstra who is speech language pathologist and is conducting research about TBI and concussions in Veterans. For more about the Chronic...

Back in season 1, episode 2 , we spoke about cannabis and if it's effective in the management of chronic pain. On this episode, Tom Hoppe is joined once again by Dr. Jason Busse who has just completed research comparing opioids to cannabis in terms of their success when helping manage chronic pain treatments. Listen to Season 1 Episode 2: Is Cannabis an effective treatment for chronic pain? https:...

As Veterans and Canadian citizens, we are aware of the situation and treatment of chronic pain of Veterans in the Canadian system. But what about other countries? In season one, episode 10, we spoke to Eric Schumacher, a retired US Army surgeon general, about how the USVA is changing the way they treat chronic pain for Veterans . Now, we look to the United Kingdom. On today's episode, Tom Hoppe is...

When someone suffers from chronic pain they may, look for alternative ways to manage the pain. Yoga is one of those ways, but does it really help? On today’s show, we will discuss the scientific evidence for yoga as pain management. Host Tom Hoppe is joined by Neil Pearson a physiotherapist and adjunct professor at University of British Columbia. For more about the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellenc...

After the buzzer goes and its time to hang up your jersey, what comes next? On The Most Painful Podcast season three season premiere, Tom Hoppe is joined by Leo Rautins, former NBA player and current Canadian broadcaster for the Toronto Raptors, along with Cameron Gaunce, a current professional hockey player. Tom discusses the similarities between military and athlete identity and why it is import...

Get ready to continue the journey into the world of chronic pain in the Veteran community as we gear up for Season 3 of The Most Painful Podcast! In this upcoming season, host Tom Hoppe dives deep into intriguing topics that promise to challenge conventional wisdom. Ever wondered about the science behind yoga and its potential to alleviate chronic pain? Join us as we unravel the mysteries and expl...

Dans ce second balado de la saison 2, nous recevons un invité bien spécial qui n’est pas encore vétéran et qui est en service actif au sein des FAC et qui connait très bien ce que représente la douleur et comment elle peut avoir un impact considérable sur la qualité de vie d’un militaire. Je m’entretiens avec le LCol Simon Mailloux, présentement en échange au Pentagone comme officier d’état-major...

Pour commencer cette première saison de baladodiffusions en français, quoi de mieux que de suggérer aux vétérans et vétéranes des façons non pharmacologiques de gérer la douleur! Dans cette balado, nous discutons avec Nathan Augeard, physiothérapeute, étudiant au Doctorat à l’Université McGill à Montréal, de l’importance de la réadaptation et de la physiothérapie dans la prise en charge de la doul...

Every military member in Canada goes through the same basic training and methodology, which forms a unique military identity and culture. But how does your civilian culture also impact your military identity? Today on the show, host Tom Hoppe is joined by Dr. Luc J. Hébert to speak about francophone military identity and overall military identity and culture when it comes to research. We are excit...

On today's episode, host Tom Hoppe speaks with Monica Szeliga, a nutritionist and registered dietician, on why food is fuel. They discuss the importance of not only what we eat, but also how we eat and why what we eat can affect our overall health, including our physical, mental and emotional well-being. For more about the Chronic Pain Centre of Exellence visit https://www.veteranschronicpain.ca/...

When someone is suffering from chronic pain, movement has been proven to be helpful in conditioning, recovery, and overall improvement in health. What needs to be considered is what is safe movement and how do you move when you are suffering from chronic pain? We need to make Veterans aware they must change how they approach physical training and that movement may be completely different from the...

No matter what we are doing; eating, sleeping, walking or talking - we are breathing. Our breath is with us at every moment of our life. On today's episode, host Tom Hoppe is joined by Dr. Abhimanyu Sud, who explains the importance of yogic breathing when living with chronic pain. Included in this episode: An ujjayi breath exercise you can try at home. For more about Chronic Pain Centre of Exellen...

On today's episode, host Tom Hoppe is joined by Dr. Rob Whitley, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, to speak about the impact the media has on Veterans who suffer from chronic pain. Dr. Whitley also speaks about the role of cannabis in treatment of chronic pain and the lack of knowledge within the healthcare system. Watch the 'Joint Forces: Cannabis Use, Chro...

Mindfulness can play a key role in managing your chronic pain, specifically when it comes to orienteering your thoughts and emotions during your day to day activities to help manage your health. Today on the show, Tom Hoppe hosts Dr. Rahul Gupta to speak about physical and mental well being. Mindfulness is three components; 1. Choosing deliberately, 2. To be in the present moment and 3. With whole...

Exploring the connection between mental health and chronic pain. In this and the previous episode, we will be speaking to experts on the connection between chronic pain and mental health. On today's episode, host Tom Hoppe welcomes Dr. Don Richardson - clinical psychiatrist working with Veterans and is currently conducting a research project on the connection between pain and mental health. For mo...

Mental health can impact chronic pain. In the next two episodes, we will be speaking to experts on the connection between chronic pain and mental health. On today's episode, host Tom Hoppe welcomes Fardous Hosseiny, the CEO of Atlas. Fardous Hosseiny shares about what ATLAS is and why it was established, the kind of research are Atlas is involved in, how Veterans are impacted and what resources ar...

Chronic pain can impact sleep and we have heard from experts that good quality sleep is important for our health. So, if someone is suffering from chronic pain what can they do to get better sleep? To talk to us about this today is Allison Gaudet, who is a physiotherapist who works with people suffering from chronic pain. Allison Gaudet MScPT, MCIScPT, BScKin – Physiotherapist and Co-Chair, Adviso...

In our first season, we talked to experts on the challenges of military identity on the healing journey for Veterans suffering from chronic pain. Military identity and mindset are important to work in a regimental institutionalized setting. Professional athletes have some of the same identity challenges. In the US, there is a program where professional athletes and Veterans work together to learn...

From our past show, the audience has provided some great feedback on how the information on this show has helped them. We have focused on chronic pain management in Canada, but how is chronic pain managed in other countries? Are the treatments the same? The US VA (United States Department of Veteran's Affairs) has changed their approach to how they manage chronic pain and to talk about this today,...

With so many veterans and family members suffering from chronic pain, how does sex and gender impact the research, assessment, and treatment of chronic pain? Dr. Stacey Ritz, PhD, MEd – Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Assistant Dean, BHSc Program, McMaster University. For more about Chronic Pain Centre of Exellence visit https://w...

Suffering from chronic pain can have a severe impact on a person’s quality of life. Psychedelics are being talked about as a treatment to help people suffering from chronic pain, but does it really work? To talk about the effectiveness of psychedelics I am joined by Dr. Michael Verbora from Macmaster University, welcome to the show, and Bruno Guevremount a Veteran and consultant to the psychedelic...