Selected Current Studies
Emerging Adults, Emerging Themes: A Decade of Pain Management Programmes (PMP) with Young Adults
Young adults living with chronic pain often face challenges that are different from older adults – like missing out on school, social opportunities and impact on early career choices. To help with these specific issues, we created a Pain Management Programme (PMP) designed especially for young adults. Our researchers are now looking at 10 years of treatment results from people who took part in the young adult’s PMP to see how well it’s working. They also plan to share what young people have said about their experience in the PMP. This research will help us keep improving the young adults PMP, so it continues to meet the needs of young people living with chronic pain.
The value of exercise videos for adults living with chronic pain: patients’ perspective
Physical exercise is an important part of our Pain Management Programmes (PMPs). To keep getting the benefits, it’s important that people continue to exercise after their programme ends, but many people find this hard to do. Past research has shown that having long term support, like access to online exercise videos, could really help people to stick to their exercise. Our pain specialist physiotherapists are talking to people living with chronic pain to find out what they think about using online exercise videos after a PMP. They want to know what people find helpful and what should be put in the videos. This feedback will help us create better videos to support people in keeping up with exercise during and after their PMP.
Experience of autistic adults of pain and pain management: Barriers to effective treatment
Autistic people are more likely to develop chronic pain, but we still don’t know much about how they experience pain or how well current pain management services work for them. In this study, our researchers are speaking with autistic individuals who have taken part in one of our Pain Management Programmes (PMP) to learn more about their experiences. The goal is to better understand how chronic pain affects autistic people and to find out if there are any challenges or barriers in getting the right support. This research could help improve and adapt pain management programmes to better meet the needs of autistic people in the future.
Pain physiotherapists experiences of diagnosing Fibromyalgia Syndrome in NHS Pain Services
There aren’t any specific blood tests or scans that can diagnose fibromyalgia. Instead, specialist doctors use certain guidelines to make the diagnosis. Unfortunately, it takes an average of 2.3 years from the first healthcare appointment to get a fibromyalgia diagnosis, which can delay access to the right care. Recent guidelines in the UK suggest that pain specialist physiotherapists, like the ones here at the PMP, could help diagnose fibromyalgia earlier and possibly reduce this wait time. However, we don’t know much about how confident physiotherapists feel in making this diagnosis or what challenges they face. This study will interview pain physiotherapists working in NHS pain services to understand their attitudes and confidence in diagnosing fibromyalgia. The goal is to find ways to support physiotherapists in making quicker diagnoses, which could help patients get the right treatment sooner.
Biopsychosocial prediction models for pain management programmes
Pain management programmes (PMPs) are the treatment of choice for individuals with chronic pain; however they are not always effective for everyone. This study focuses on identifying “enabling factors” which are factors of the environment or resources that make it easier for individuals to benefit from a PMP. From this, the study aims to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from PMPs and to better tailor PMPs to meet patient needs.
Flare-ups and chronic pelvic pain: cross-sectional questionnaire – exploring what helps mechanisms of change
Flare-ups are exacerbations of pain and/or non-pain symptoms. They can have a significant impact on women experiencing chronic pelvic pain (CPP). There is currently a limited understanding of how to manage CPP flare-ups well. This study aims to explore factors which help with CPP flare-up management to improve current treatment options. To achieve this, the study is making and giving out a flare-up management questionnaire which will help patients and clinicians understand how to manage CPP flare ups well.
Exploring patients' experience under specialist care for chronic non-cancer pain and opioid reduction
There is limited evidence that opioids work well in the treatment of chronic pain, and long-term use can cause serious side effects. At the Walton Centre Pain Medicine Department, we support people with chronic non-cancer pain to reduce their reliance on opioids through tailored reduction programmes led by a team of healthcare professionals. Even though research shows this approach can work, we don’t know much about how patients feel about the treatment and care they get in this service. This study will conduct interviews with patients who have been supported to reduce opioids in our service to learn about their experiences, thoughts, and any challenges they face. This will allow us to understand how to improve the service and better meet patients’ needs.
The role of empathy in interactions between healthcare professionals and people with fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition that causes ongoing pain and can seriously affect a person’s daily life. Although healthcare professionals (HCPs) can offer valuable support, many people with FMS say they don’t feel understood or cared for by their HCPs which can lead to emotional upset and frustration. Research shows that when HCPs show empathy, it can help improve pain and well-being for people with FMS. However, we still don’t know much about how empathy is shown during healthcare appointments, or how it affects patients in real-life settings. This study will use a mix of methods to explore how both HCPs and people with FMS experience and understand empathy in healthcare settings. This will help us to understand and improve healthcare interactions for people with FMS so that they feel more satisfied and less distressed when getting care.