Los Angeles Chronic Pain
Support and advocacy information for individuals dealing with chronic pain.
Category: Uncategorized
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Trauma and Chronic Pain: Understanding the Deep Connection
Living with chronic pain is more than just a physical experience. For many, it’s deeply tied to trauma—whether from a single event or years of accumulated stress, fear, or neglect. Understanding this connection can help those of us living with pain find more compassionate care, better tools for healing, and a renewed sense of self-worth.…
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Don’t Let Pain Linger: What to Do When Acute Pain Strikes to Prevent Chronic Pain
When you twist your back, stub your toe, or wake up with post-surgical soreness, your first thought may be: How do I make the pain stop? But there’s another crucial question to ask: How do I make sure this pain doesn’t become chronic? Acute pain is your body’s alarm system, warning you that something’s wrong.…
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Chronic Pain and the Value of Value-Based Care
Living with chronic pain is not just about managing symptoms—it’s about navigating a healthcare system that often feels fragmented, impersonal, and reactive. Too often, people living with chronic pain are passed from specialist to specialist, receive short-term fixes instead of long-term solutions, and are burdened with out-of-pocket costs for therapies that might actually improve their…
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When the Pain Is More Than Physical: Mental Health and Life with Chronic Pain
“I’m not just hurting. I’m exhausted, anxious, and sometimes I feel like I’m disappearing.” That sentence could come from anyone living with chronic pain—and often does. Pain doesn’t just settle in our joints, nerves, or muscles. It seeps into our sleep, our thoughts, our relationships, and our sense of self. And yet, the emotional and…
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High-Impact Pain: When Pain Takes Over Life — and What to Do About It
“It’s not just that it hurts — it’s that the pain makes everything harder. Getting dressed, making meals, seeing friends, even just thinking clearly. It’s not a bad day — it’s every day.” If you live with chronic pain, you may have heard a term that’s gaining attention in research and policy circles: high-impact chronic…
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Why the VA Whole Health Model Isn’t Just for Veterans — It’s a Game-Changer for Anyone Living with Chronic Pain
Living with chronic pain often feels like navigating a broken system—one focused on symptoms, not people. But there’s a model of care, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, that’s quietly revolutionizing how we approach pain. It’s called Whole Health, and despite being born in the VA, it offers powerful benefits for anyone facing…
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wHOPE Trial: Exploring Whole Health Approaches for Veterans with Chronic Pain
A Patient-Friendly Summary What Was the Goal of the Study? The wHOPE Trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the VA’s Whole Health model in managing chronic pain among Veterans. Specifically, it compared different care approaches to determine which best improved pain interference, functioning, and quality of life. The central question: Can a comprehensive Whole…
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SBIRT-PM Trial: Supporting Veterans with Chronic Pain and Substance Use Concerns
A Patient-Friendly Summary What Was the Goal of the Study? The SBIRT-PM Trial—short for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management—aimed to determine whether a brief counseling approach could help Veterans applying for service-connected disability due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) manage chronic pain and reduce risky substance use.Oxford Academic+9painmanagementcollaboratory.org+9CenterWatch+9 The central question:…
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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…