Los Angeles Chronic Pain
Support and advocacy information for individuals dealing with chronic pain.
Author: paintom
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Chronic Pain Is Not for the Faint of Heart
Damn the Torpedoes. Full Steam Ahead. Living with chronic pain is not for the faint of heart. Let’s just say it: this life asks more from us than most people can imagine. It asks for grit on mornings when getting out of bed feels like an act of rebellion. It asks for patience on days…
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🧘♂️ APPROACH Trial: Exploring Complementary Therapies for Chronic Pain in Veterans
A Patient-Friendly Summary 🎯 What Was the Goal of the Study? The APPROACH Trial—short for Assessing Pain, Patient Reported Outcomes, and Complementary and Integrative Health—aimed to determine the most effective ways to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain in Veterans using non-drug therapies. The central question: Can combining self-care practices like yoga or tai chi with treatments…
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🧘♂️ COPES ExTRA Trial: Expanding Access to Chronic Pain Management
A Patient Friendly Summary 🎯 What Was the Goal of the Study? The COPES ExTRA Trial aimed to determine whether a telephone-based program could effectively help individuals manage chronic musculoskeletal pain, such as back, neck, or joint pain. The central question: Can a self-guided, phone-delivered program be as effective as traditional in-person therapy for managing…
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📞 CBT by Phone? The COPES Clinical Trial Shows It Works!
A Patient Friendly Summary 🎯 What Was the Goal of the Study? The COPES trial asked a simple but important question: Can people with chronic pain benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered by phone, without needing to travel to a clinic? Researchers wanted to find out if a phone-based system could help reduce pain-related…
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Mindfulness for Chronic Pain: Insights from the LAMP Clinical Trial
A Patient Friendly Summary Study Title: Telehealth Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Chronic Pain: The LAMP Randomized Clinical TrialPublished in JAMA Internal Medicine, October 1, 2024Read the full article Purpose of the Study: To determine if mindfulness practices delivered via telehealth—either through group sessions or self-paced modules—can improve daily functioning and reduce the impact of chronic pain…
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The Better Day Trap and the Power of Pacing
When you live with chronic pain, you learn to listen closely to your body—sometimes by force, sometimes by exhaustion. And one of the hardest lessons many of us learn is about pacing. Not just what it is, but why it’s essential—and how hard it is to stick to, especially when you’re finally having a “better”…
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Why Well Connected Matters: Building Community, Purpose, and Joy at Any Age
In today’s fast-paced, often isolating world, the value of connection cannot be overstated—especially for older adults, people with chronic illness, those living alone, or anyone looking for a safe and welcoming space to belong. That’s where Well Connected shines. This free, nationwide virtual community offers an inclusive lifeline of conversation, laughter, creativity, and learning—delivered by…
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Frustrated by What You Can’t Do Anymore? You’re Not Alone.
Living with chronic pain means rewriting what life looks like—sometimes daily. I used to hike. I used to work. I used to run errands, garden, cook, clean the house, and still have energy left to help a friend move or attend a late-night concert. I used to be able to do so much more. Sound…
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The Power of Purpose: Goal Setting While Living with Chronic Pain
IntroductionLiving with chronic pain reshapes the way we move through the world. It often requires giving up former routines, redefining what’s possible, and finding new ways to measure progress. Yet even in the face of pain, setting goals—and pursuing them—can offer direction, purpose, and a renewed sense of hope. Goal setting isn’t about pretending pain…
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Setting Expectations: A Vital Skill for Living with Chronic Pain
Living with chronic pain doesn’t mean giving up on life — it means learning how to live in a different way. One of the most powerful tools we have is the ability to set expectations — for ourselves, for others, and for the world around us. But here’s the hard truth: expectations can be a…
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What SSA Needs to Understand About Chronic Pain and the Tools That Help Us
I was honored to participate in the recent National Academies’ “Exploring the Treatment and Management of Chronic Pain and Implications for Disability Determinations: A Workshop.” I was privileged to serve as the person with lived experience (PWLE) on the panel titled “Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Comprehensive Chronic Pain Management,” alongside Dr. Peter Wayne (Harvard…
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Advocacy as a Lifeline: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Keep Going While Living with Chronic Pain
“Step 12: Learn to pace yourself. Know that you have a right to say no and to do only what you can.”— The American Chronic Pain Association, 12 Steps to Chronic Pain Management We often think of advocacy as a grand gesture — marching on Capitol Hill or giving testimony before policymakers. But for people…
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“I Will Not Fear” – The Power of Belief in the Midst of Chronic Pain
Have you ever been told you’re “so strong” while silently wondering if you have anything left to give?Living with chronic pain can strip away confidence, isolate you from hope, and leave even the strongest among us questioning our worth. Yet, deep inside each of us, there’s a quiet fire—an unbreakable core of determination, courage, and…
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Therapy Options for Chronic Low Back Pain While on Opioids
What a New Study Tells Us About Mindfulness and CBT 📄 What Was Studied? A large research study (770 participants) looked at two types of talk therapies for people living with chronic low back pain who had been taking opioid medications for at least 3 months: Researchers wanted to know which worked better at: 🧪…
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How to Become a Patient Advisor in Clinical Research or Join a Guideline Panel as a Person with Lived Experience
In recent years, the voice of the patient has gone from being “nice to have” to absolutely essential in health research and clinical practice. Whether it’s in a clinical trial or on a guideline development panel, people with lived experience (PWLE) are helping shape the decisions that impact millions. But how do you actually become…