Chronic Pain

Want one insider perspective on pain?

Take a look at the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) and see what physicians who specialze in pain medicine are up to.

The ACPA provides support and information for people and their families living with chronic pain.

A user-friendly resource that offers chronic pain-related education, news and even videos. Be sure to check out their huge section on managing pain, which has great tools to help you cope and communicate about your pain.

The American Pain Foundation provides help and hope to individuals living with chronic pain.

Sign up for one or more of a whole bunch of free e-news pubs, get info about advocacy and volunteering opportunities, or browse through a ton of great resources about pain and pain management. Reach out to a fellow Babe in pain by sending one of the specially designed e-cards.

The APS aims to "increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering."

Need facts about how to recognize or treat chronic pain? The APS offers extensive resources for pain sufferers, clinicians and researchers to learn more about diagnosis and treatment.

Beyond Chronic Pain belongs to Rebecca Rengo-Kocher, whose mission "is to educate and empower those with chronic pain, so they can be their own advocate and live with hope."

Peruse Rebecca's site to learn more about her experience with and tips for chronic pain sufferers. She offers therapy, coaching and publications, and - as someone living with chronic pain herself - knows what she's talking about!

The Chronic Pain Store is chock-full of pain relief products, whether your pain is from an injury or a medical condition.

Look! A whole store of stuff to help Babes living with chronic pain. Check out the search function, which allows you to browse by symptom or condition. What Babe hasn't had a nasty headache that could use a special pillow or cold pack?

This article from the American Pain Foundation offers handy tips for communicating pain effectively to your physician or physician's assistant.

Among its suggestions are using the mnemonic LOCATES to explain all the various facets of your pain, and some handy self-assessment tools.

For anyone with chronic pain, the concept of dancing with it probably sounds a little bit...weird. Impossible. Crazy. But Loolwa Khazzoom is showing us it's not!

Her program, Dancing With Pain, is designed to help folks with chronic pain (and the people who treat them) learn to use dance to navigate the complexities of their condition. And she speaks from experience: she has used dance to help her own chronic pain, and, she says, "beyond the physical aspect, I have used Dancing with Pain as a metaphor for creating a dynamic emotional and spiritual relationship to pain—so that patients are no longer victims of depression, anxiety, and fear, but rather powerful dance partners with them." Go, Loolwa, go!

It may not have heart-shaped lock on it, but ReliefInsite.com can still be the friend that listens.

Share this real-time pain-mapping tool with your family and doctor to get better treatment and support. It sure is tempting to slip in some sordid secrets, but we know it’s not *that* kind of diary.

ChronicBabe is proud to say it's one of HealthCentral's 2007 Top Sites for chronic pain!

The Top Site Awards are awarded to the web's very best small web sites and individual blogs dedicated to providing informative, insightful and inspirational health care advice.

We are super thrilled to receive this honor and hope to continue to be of help to so many women (and men)!  

That's right, Mary! CarePlace has a forum for all your 33 flavors of health conditions.

It's probably above 33 by now, because they just added a chronic pain discussion, too.

Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness and Pain, by Carol Sveilich, focuses on the real lives of people "looking one way, but feeling another."

A great read on "hidden" conditions, whether emotional/psychological (depression, anxiety) or physical (chronic pain, arthritis).

The NPF provides information, support and community for folks living with chronic pain.

Way interactive and patient-centric, this site offers a wealth of tools for Babes in need of pain support. Need to find a pain specialist in your area? Check out the Caregiver Directory link. Register on the site to use tools like the Pain Journal and Pain Inventory.

Tell us where it hurts, Babe.

Then record it in your Daily Health Diary, Medication Information Form, Pain Assessment Form, and Pain Scale. Sharing these self-awareness forms with your friends, family, and health care practitioners can go a long way to maintaining the support you need and updating your care regimen. Consult DoctorsForPain.com for more suggestions.

Is your pain through the roof today?

Visit PainSupport to unleash your self-healing capabilities and learn some coping skills. To remind yourself of the power within, request their e-mail newsletter.

The bible for the estimated 85% of us who experience back and neck pain.

The title says it all. In The Back Pain Book, Mike Hage, a physical therapist, offers background info, exercises, and advice targeted to the workplace, the bedroom, and other situations that can trigger pain.

Spine-Health offers tons of resources on back pain, including a handy newsletter and a doctor finder.

But our favorite bits are the blog and the forums. They're a great place to get the latest information and research, and to find support and trade resources with other folks who live with back pain.

The TMJ Association has a cool online forum where those affected by temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJDs)—and their loved ones—can exchange information, share experiences and find mutual support.

The forum extends the association's outreach to raise awareness about the realities of TMJDs and advance our mission to support TMJ patients and their loved ones. Check it out, Babes!

The TNA is provides information, care and support to individuals with trigeminal neuralgia.

Need info about this disorder - which causes acute facial pain? Head here first: Check out newsletters, articles, personal stories and the TNA store.