Los Angeles Chronic Pain
Support and advocacy information for individuals dealing with chronic pain.
Author: paintom
-
Understanding Engagement in Clinical Trials and Guideline Development: Participants vs. Patient Advisors
In both clinical trials and guideline development panels, the term “engagement” refers to how individuals are involved in the process—but the nature and purpose of engagement differ significantly between participants and patient advisors (or partners). 🔹 Clinical Trial Participants 🔹 Guideline Development Panel Public Representatives (without advisor training) 🔹 Patient Advisors / Patient Partners (in…
-
Understanding and Managing Sciatica: A Patient-Centered Guide (Updated 2024)
Sciatica is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide. This updated guide reflects the most current (as of 2024) evidence-based recommendations for managing sciatica, with a focus on self-care, non-opioid therapies, and patient empowerment, in line with the World Patients Alliance’s values of transparency, accessibility, and patient-first care. What Is Sciatica? Sciatica is…
-
Living with Lower Back Pain: What Every Patient Should Know
Lower back pain is one of the most common and misunderstood health conditions worldwide. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve experienced it—or are living with it every day. You’re not alone. And more importantly, you deserve to be heard, supported, and equipped with the right tools. This article follows the World Patients Alliance (WPA)…
-
Understanding Scoliosis: A Patient-Centered Guide to Living Well with Spinal Curvature
Introduction Scoliosis is more than just a curved spine — it’s a condition that can affect every part of a person’s life, from physical comfort to emotional well-being. In alignment with the World Patients Alliance (WPA) guidelines, this article provides a clear, compassionate, and empowering overview of scoliosis, placing patients and their lived experiences at…
-
Understanding Chronic Pain: Facts, Lived Experience, and Global Resources
Chronic pain is more than a symptom—it’s a global public health challenge that affects over 1.5 billion people worldwide, disrupting lives, livelihoods, and well-being. As part of the World Patients Alliance’s commitment to empowering patients, caregivers, and communities, we’re developing resources that address specific conditions like chronic pain. This article offers an overview of chronic…
-
Held Through the Pain: What My Faith Has Meant in My Journey with Chronic Pain
I think I’ve always been strengthened by my faith. It hasn’t just been a belief system—it’s been a steady presence in my life, an anchor in the storms of chronic illness, cancer, and loss. My journey with pain has been long and difficult, but never without meaning. And never without the sense that I was…
-
“Why, Lord?” — Living with Chronic Pain and the Cry of the Heart
“Why, Lord?”It’s a question whispered in the quiet of sleepless nights, shouted into the void after a day of relentless pain, and carried deep inside when the words can’t even form. For many of us living with chronic pain, this question is not a one-time plea—it’s a recurring, sometimes daily, lament. When the pain doesn’t…
-
What Are Clinical Practice Guidelines—And How Are They Developed?
When we hear the word guideline, we often think of a helpful suggestion or a best practice. In healthcare, however, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are far more than suggestions. They shape how care is delivered, what treatments are offered, and how healthcare professionals make decisions. For people living with chronic conditions—like chronic pain—these guidelines can…
-
🧬 Then, Now, and Next: How Clinical Trials and Guideline Panels Are Evolving—And Why People With Lived Experience Must Lead
Twenty years ago, clinical trials operated like locked boxes. Researchers wrote the protocols. Participants followed directions. Guideline panels were the domain of experts in white coats, speaking a language most people couldn’t understand. The very individuals most affected by these decisions—people living with chronic conditions—were rarely invited to the table. That world is changing. Slowly…
-
Listening to Your Body: Why Taking Time Out Matters When Living with Chronic Pain
When you live with chronic pain, there’s often a tension between what you want to do and what your body needs. Many of us have been conditioned to push through discomfort, to meet expectations, and to show up no matter what. But when pain is a constant companion, that mindset can lead to worsening symptoms,…
-
Living in a Fog: Understanding and Managing Brain Fog with Chronic Pain
If you live with chronic pain, there’s a good chance you’ve had days when your brain just doesn’t seem to work right. You lose track of what you were saying mid-sentence. You forget where you put your keys — again. You reread the same paragraph three times and still don’t absorb it. It’s not just…
-
🧩 Rethinking Pain Scales: What Do They Really Mean to People with Lived Experience?
“What’s your pain level on a scale of 0 to 10?” We’ve all heard it. We’ve all answered it.But let’s be honest — does that number really mean anything anymore? For millions of people living with chronic pain, rating pain with a number or a cartoon face often feels not just inadequate, but alienating. We’re…
-
Clinical Trials: What They Are, What They Do, and How We Can Make Them Better
Clinical trials are the backbone of medical discovery. They’re how we find out if new treatments work, if they’re safe, and who benefits from them. But while they are essential for medical progress, clinical trials often fall short of their full potential—especially when it comes to serving the very people they aim to help: patients.…
-
🧠 Is Inflammation in the Brain Linked to Chronic Pain?
A Patient-Friendly Summary of the Study “Neuroinflammation: Does It Have a Role in Chronic Pain? Evidence from Human Imaging”Author: Marco L. Loggia, PhDPublished in: PAIN, 2024, Volume 165 (Supplement 1), pages S58–S67📖 Full study: https://journals.lww.com/pain/Fulltext/2024/11001/_Neuroinflammation___does_it_have_a_role_in.8.aspx 🔬 What Was the Study About? This study explored whether neuroinflammation—a type of immune system response in the brain and…
-
🧠 Beyond the Token Seat: How We Can—and Must—Transform Patient Engagement in Clinical Trials and Guidelines
It’s not enough to give patients a voice. We need to give them a vote. Every year, millions of dollars are poured into clinical trials and medical guideline development—but too often, those efforts leave out the very people they’re supposed to serve. Patient engagement is treated as an afterthought. A nice-to-have. A single checkbox. We…