Flippin' Pain
There’s a saying in healthcare: that ‘motion is lotion’. And we couldn’t agree more.
But getting active is harder for some people more than others.
A recent national report found pain to be the #1 barrier to being physically active for those with long term conditions.
So if someone is struggling to take your advice, maybe pain’s the problem.
Providing support is as easy as 1, 2, 3
The good news is that recovery from persistent pain is possible: and one of the best techniques for recovery is moving more.
When being active is painful, movement seems like something to avoid. But activity is safe and beneficial for people affected by persistent pain.
We’ve teamed up with Flippin’ Pain to help you help others: we’ll be sharing best practice on how to help people in pain get active.
It comes down to three steps:
- Engage and start a conversation
- Educate, using the latest pain science
- Empower them to move more.
Following these could make a huge difference to the people you work with.
For guidance on all of this and more, sign up to the Live Longer Better in Cumbria newsletter. Starting in September 24, Flippin’ Pain will be sharing top tips every month.
Read the September 2024 Newsletter
Read the October 2024 Newsletter
Read the November 2024 Newsletter
Read the December 2024 Newsletter
Flippin Pain's Latest Resources
These resources have been shared in the newsletters so far, and are free for anyone to use:
- The Flippin’ Pain Formula: a series of podcasts, animations and worksheets that explain pain in an entertaining way.
- The Sweet Zone: a guide to moving more for anyone with persistent pain
Watch the presentation from Julia Gover at our Live Longer Better in Cumbria Continuing the Movement for Active Ageing Conference (February 2025).
Julia captured the audience’s interest with an initial case study – who turns out to be a local fell running hero! She proceeded to challenge our understanding of pain, in particularly focusing on one of Flippin’ Pain’s key messages that ‘Hurt does not always mean harm’. She shared renown reports from medical journals as well as calling upon the audience to reflect on their own every day experiences – the bruise that appears from nowhere, the headache that can be treated with a simple paracetamol. She continued to from persistent pain with an analogy to an oversensitive car alarm system, and drew listeners’ attention the ‘empathy gap’ highlighted by We Are Undefeatable’ s ‘Bridging the Gap’ report.