Pain management clinics in UK.

[G.Elias]

My gp is going to get me an appointment at a pain management clinic,has anyone in the UK been to one?
My gp talks of rehabilitation but i don't think they can make a curved spine straight plus the damage caused by an inexperienced physio,do these places prescribe any meds to help with pain?Just spent the weekend unable to move my neck and bad migraines due to nerve damage in my neck,i get gabbapentin but it doesnt seem to help too much.For back pain i get 30 days of tramadol that i have to make last 3 months,never lasts me more than a month and a half if i'm lucky.
Is it going to be another case of ibuprofen,leaflets and more leaflets and exercise?
How can a person exercise if its causing pain?

If any one has been to one of these Pain management clinics in UK can you let me know how it worked out please?

[barq2]

My sister went to one and it seemed quite helpful (a few years ago). Some sessions were with specialist nurses, other appointments were with doctors. Pain vs doing stuff was exactly the kind of thing they discussed with her and looked into. Obviously no magic solution, but she kept visiting. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but I'll ask her about her experience next time I see her.

I wish you all the best.

[G.Elias]

Hi Tommy.  Although my experience with UK PM is nil, amd my experience with even US PM is minimal, I have been scripted PKs for over a decade and have avidly followed the media and the forums on how PM visits are.

I believe it is most important to present yourself as one who is interested in an accurate diagnosis amd treatment plan, of which PKs are only one componenet.  

It is ok to be hesistent to say ok to shots or other procedures ypu are not sure will help.  But good to show interest in accupuncture, topical creams (either compounded or off the shelf), dietary changes (sugar increases inflammation and pain).  

Stuff like that.  Also, maybe certain sleeping positions help you pain, gentle am stretches?  

The docs dont want to script pks to someone who has given up/in to the pain.

They want to work with you to improve your quality of life and want you to view the PKs as one 'tool in your toolbox'

Also I learned that if the docs ask us to rate our pain on a scale of 1 to 10, good to go with a 6 or 7.  Otherwise they think we are exaggerating.  8 and 9 on the pain scale is for being crushed in a car accident.

Also for some reason, US PM docs think meds should only reduce our pain levels to a 2 or 3.  

Hope this helps and is clear enough.  I am here if you want to chat more.  

Fire

Many thanks both to Barq and Fireplaces,i'll remember what you said esp fire about the pain scale,think things can be improved but doubt every really fixed,didn't know about the sugar thing,since i stopped drinking regularly have been eating sweet things a bit more at night,esp flapjacks,think i have a problem with flapkacks,i try avoid too much processed food,even a tin of beans i can taste sugar in,no need to put sugar in baked beans.
My gp mentioned shots to my back,i know someone who has them and i dont like the sound of them at all,sound awfullly painfull imo.
Can't sleep in many positions,have to lie on my right side,any other position neck pain will be worse as well as back pain,sometimes cant help turning over in my sleep though.I can do some bits of stretching in the AM but not over do it,if i wake up with the migraines from nerve damage in my neck though stretching gets forgotten about,had to go have a light sleep in a dark room the other day cos the migraine just knocked me down.
Thanks again for the replies both of you,any more info by anyone would be appreciated.
I'll let you know how it goes,i need to try something new instead of just being fobbed off with leaflets by my gp

[Rose5555]

Really useful information, Fire. Thanks for posting it all. I am often asked about pain scales when I buy meds online here in the UK; they also ask how much the pks improve my life and in what ways - I do find the prescribers want to hear that they are prescribing something that you value and that works. I have genuinely found acupuncture useful for migraine, if not for general pain, so often offer that as something else I am trying to do. It's worth knowing this sort of information if you want to buy in the UK from the legal outlets that exist under EU law right now.

[barq2]

Also I learned that if the docs ask us to rate our pain on a scale of 1 to 10, good to go with a 6 or 7.  Otherwise they think we are exaggerating.  8 and 9 on the pain scale is for being crushed in a car accident.

That's interesting. I can absolutely believe that. It is a bit like when they ask how much alcohol you consume and they double it because most people under-report.

On the 1-10 scale, I just find that so ridiculously subjective. My sense of what 10 could be like changed very dramatically after a serious mountain bike crash. I expect that women who have given birth might also find their 10 has shifted. Also, I think some pain is more distressing than other types. So my bike crash was extremely painful because I was badly hurt. (I was also in a remote place with no cell phone signal so had to move or risk death by hypothermia.) However, the most distressing pain I've had was raging toothache. Because it was in my head, I couldn't mentally separate myself from it. I dunno what others think?

[BoomerB]

I am firmly against the 1 to 10 scale, like you said it's too subjective. Like, zero basis in science. You'd think we would have a better system in place 2500 years after Hippocrates