Pain Waves

Mental health and chronic pain are fundamentally connected. People living with mental illness are at higher risk of experiencing a wide range of chronic physical conditions. Conversely, people living with chronic pain experience depression and anxiety at twice the rate of the general population. The interplay of these mental and physical conditions can greatly diminish quality of life, prolong illness and worsen health outcomes. To  help us better understand the relationship between mental health and chronic pain, we speak to Dr Wesley Buch. Dr Buch a registered psychologist who practices in the area of health and rehabilitation psychology.

People with cancer may deal with persistent, often severe, pain. Although doctors agree that controlling cancer pain is a high priority, pain isn't always well understood or effectively treated. To  help us better understand cancer pain how best to manage it, we chat to Dr. Pippa Hawley. Dr Hawley is an internist and a Palliative Medicine Specialist at the BC Cancer Agency.

Low back pain is among the most common chronic pain conditions in Canada. Four out of five adults will experience at least one episode of back pain at some time in their lives. The cause of back pain, however, is not always apparent; in fact, in approximately 85% to 90% of individuals with back pain, no specific cause can be identified.  To help us better understand this common condition and learn how to manage low back pain, we speak with Dr Owen Williamson. Dr Williamson is an orthopaedic spine surgeon and specialist pain medicine physician. He is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.  In 2007, Dr Williamson became the first orthopaedic surgeon in Australia to become a Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in 2007. He is on the Education and Training Committee and an examiner for the Faculty of Pain Medicine and is involved in the development of pain education p

In this episode of Pain Waves, we discuss the diagnosis, pain management, and latest developments relating to fibromylagia. Our guest is Dr. Rhonda Shuckett. Dr. Shuckett is a Rheumatologist and a Clinical Associate Professor of UBC Department of Medicine.  She has practiced in Vancouver for the past nearly 25 years. She sees an array of Rheumatologic conditions including fibromyalgia.  She has lectured to other physicians on the topic of fibromyalgia and has some published articles on this topic. She is very involved in teaching through the medical school at UBC.

In this episode of Pain Waves, we discuss the management of pediatric chronic pain. To help us better understand this issue, we're joined by pediatric pain specialist, Dr Gillian Lauder. Dr Lauder is a Pediatric Anaesthesiologist with over 20 years of clinical experience. She has an extensive expertise in the assessment and management of acute and chronic pain in children. She currently works in Vancouver at BC Childrens’ Hospital. Her subspecialty interest in pediatric anesthesia and pain management is regional or interventional pain techniques. Dr Lauder is also a former Board Member of Pain BC.

Have any of the following questions crossed your mind regarding pain medications?  - Are my medications not working if they don't take away the pain completely? - What's the point bringing up my concerns about pain medications with pharmacists if they can't make changes to my medications? - I'm dependent on my pain medications to function. Does that make me an addict?If these or any other questions are of interest to YOU, then this episode of Pain Waves is for you. Pharmacists Dr Thuy Nguyen and Dr Marylene Kyriazis answer these questions and more about pain medications.

Did you know that research is currently being done into ways in which new technologies - ranging from virtual reality and robotics to social media - may be used as a technological form of analgesia and pain management. In this episode of Pain Waves, we talk to Diane Gromala about these new technologies. Diane is a Canada Research Chair and a Professor in the Simon Fraser University School of Interactive Arts and Technology. Her research works at the intersection of computer science, media art and design, and has focused on "the cultural, visceral, and embodied implications of digital technologies, particularly in the realm of chronic pain". Dr. Gromala's work is currently in use in over 20 hospitals and clinics.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - CRPS (formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - RSD) is a form of severe chronic pain usually affecting the arm or leg, typically developing after an injury, surgery, stroke or heart attack. Our guest on this episode of the Pain Waves podcast is Dr. Brenda Lau, a Vancouver, BC-based anesthesiologist, focusing on post-surgical pain syndromes, neuropathic and axial spine pain.  Dr Lau briefly outline the symptoms, possible causes, and treatment options for CRPS and talks to listeners about their questions.

Do you live with chronic pain? Have you had experience as a chronic pain patient in the British Columbia health care system? SHARE YOUR PATIENT EXPERIENCE WITH US!Educating health care practitioners is a big piece of Pain BC’s work. We hold annual educational conferences and are working with the British Columbia Medical Association on better educating family physicians and specialists on the latest pain management treatment, techniques, and care.To improve the patient experience of people living with pain, we want to hear from you! In this episode, Maria Hudspith, Executive Director of Pain BC, speaks about our current and upcoming educational initiatives and what we’re trying to achieve. Then we're joined by people living with pain who have a story to share about their experience with health care practitioners, answering some of these questions: In what ways has your health care team been effective, helpful, caring and compassionate? In what ways could they improve your patient experience ? If you were desig

In the third episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we're joined by Dr. Christina Williams (OBGYN), Co-Medical Director at the BC Centre for Reproductive Health. We discuss women's pelvic pain and endometriosis.

In this episode of Pain Waves, Neil Pearson PT, physiotherapist, yoga teacher, and internationally renowned pain expert joins us to discuss how to keep moving through chronic pain. Neil discusses the barriers to increasing your activity and how to overcome them, explores some practical exercises that you can try at home, and presents tools like breathing, relaxation, body awareness, and quieting the mind

In this, our pilot episode, our guest is Dr. Michael Negraeff, anesthesiologist, pain specialist at Vancouver General Hospital, and former Chair of the Board of Pain BC.  In this first episode of the podcast, Dr Negraeff briefly introduces Pain BC, describes its mission, outlines its accomplishments to date, and sest out Pain BC's goals for the coming year. Dr Negraeff then takes listener calls related to chronic pain.