IF you suffer from chronic pain and feel like you've reached a dead end with treatment options, St John of God Healthcare's Hawkesbury Community Health Centre now offers a Community Chronic Pain Management Program at its new Pain Management Clinic.
Facilitator and Physiotherapist Alex Shaw said the program was beneficial for those who felt as though they'd "tried everything else".
"It is a multidisciplinary collaborative approach of different types of healthcare specialists working together, and so it is different and can help people who have tried physio, or chiro, or had surgery before and felt that it failed," Mr Shaw said.
"In fact this program often works best for those who have tried other approaches, but have been advised that they have to 'learn to live with it' - pain."
The program consists of three hours per week for six weeks and, aside from being asked to purchase a $15 pain book that is used during the program, there is no cost.
"This program offers hope for people to gain some control over their life, to learn how to set goals and achieve them despite their pain, and in the end find that their pain not only holds them back less, but find that it reduces in its intensity also," said Mr Shaw.
"It is a fantastic program because it helps participants become equipped with the skills and tools they need to overcome some of the difficulties that have kept them in ruts and prevented progress in their journey with pain previously."
The program is designed as an early intervention, and consists of a series of low intensity pain management sessions run by Health Professionals aimed at helping people who suffer from chronic or persistent pain better manage their condition.
The program aims to provide sufferers of ongoing pain with the skills and knowledge to develop and use self-management strategies to improve their quality of life and function despite their pain.
The program aims to assist those who: have suffered from pain-related disability for more than six months; have felt anxious or depressed because of ongoing pain; and have found it difficult to do the things because of pain.
To get involved in Hawkesbury's Community Chronic Pain Management Program on the Hawkesbury Hospital grounds, contact your GP for a referral.
For enquiries, contact Mr Shaw on 4560 5684.