People from all walks of life have discovered the life-changing benefits of self-managing pain effectively

I found this course to be really helpful. Particularly the relaxation and meditation elements. I have benefited from the stretching exercises and also the message that pain doesn't mean damage. I will continue to use these skills to help manage my condition. Thank you.

It was a very beneficial course, and hope to continue listening to advice from the videos. The videos have taught me things I didn't know before, and whilst I still experience pain, the course has helped manage it.

I enjoyed the course. Although I don't feel much different pain-wise I think it has helped me understand things a bit better. I will try to keep up with my breathing exercises, physical exercises and will try to do the relaxation techniques and hopefully slowly things will improve.

I started the course having tried physiotherapy and osteopathy as well as painkillers. Neither worked well. The NHS was overstretched so I spent lot of money on private consultants who gave me injections, an MRI scan, and pain management advice. When I heard of the amount that would be necessary I blenched and decided to wait till the musculoskeletal unit in my area would see me ten weeks ahead. While waiting, I decided to look on the internet about pain relief. I found pathway through pain. After the thousands of pounds I had already spent, sixty quid sounded nothing. It has proved to be the best investment I have made in my health in my last 86 years. The three elements that together have worked for me are, first better knowledge that I saw the point of. I thought that pain was to warn you to stop doing something, the discovery that in chronic pain you don't need to stop and be afraid was huge, and the concept of the pain gate was immediately powerful. Second, the exercises really worked, the fact they were to stretch was also unexpected. Third, I found the relaxation really good. As an old fashioned man, I had been sceptical. I am now much much less so. Finally congratulations on the elements that bind the course together, I find the library and the journal excellent and shall go on referring to them. Finally, the ongoing evaluation really kept me hooked and wanting to go on.

A lot of the course was what I was doing already but it reinforced that I am doing the right thing

This course has helped me improve my pain management but I still feel depressed one month on from ending the course, but I've learnt good coping tools and information that I feel my confidence will have improved a bit more in another month. The steps were easy to understand and even though short it had the right size of information/exercises and the right amount of time to teach us in each step. l was able to concentrate on each step, whereas I find it hard to concentrate when reading for more than 20mins so this was good. I like that I can log in and use the library when I need. This has helped me, and being able to do it from home was great rather than trying to attend in a hospital setting so even on days I wasn't able to get out of bed I could still do the course which helped my confidence and felt more relaxed to complete the course. There was no pressure and rush to complete, I was able to go at my own pace which was great. I'm glad I got to do this course.

I've really enjoyed my experience with Pathway Through Pain. I've learnt a lot about my pain and how to manage it. I feel I'm coping better with the pain, although I suffer from extreme anxiety so I sometimes struggle to get out the house and be outside, I push myself to do a lot and I find that when I'm moving about and doing things my mind is active but once I sit down and try to relax my pain starts again. Night times are really difficult because trying to sleep with the pain and settle down is hard - my back and legs cramp up and its very painful. I get around 2 hours sleep every night so its no surprise I wake up moody and anxious and still in pain until I'm up dressed and doing the school run shopping etc. Its been very hard work and felt like I've dealt with it all on my own without ANY help from my doctor or anyone else but pathway, and I'm proud to be able to now cope with the pain during the day because of pathway and I'm very grateful.

Thank you for being there, it has helped me a lot and made me think how much pain I have been in. Your pathway has been really helpful - there are still goals I have to do, as sometimes I really just cant do, but I try the next day and I won't give up. Thankyou very much for your help. A very grateful Marcia.

I am extremely grateful to have been offered this course. It was good to hear the voices of different health professionals. It has encouraged me to come off serious pain killers and to concentrate on exercise and relaxation instead. I have added the exercises demonstrated to my daily routine. Before the course I had serious problems sleeping , but this is now much better, owing to the relaxation programme. I am learning to accept the pain, it no longer overwhelms me.

I think the course is certainly worth doing, it helps you to cope with the pain and really makes you think about your reaction to the pain

Beneficial

I didn't find many of the activities very useful.

Well thought out, gradual course that has opened my eyes to ways I can most definitely improve my pain management… sometimes it’s the obvious things that can benefit the most…. Having the proper mindset is the first step I believe.

The pathway to pain course has not helped very much in managing my pain. The pain I suffer is not in my head and is caused by specific issues that the NHS will not treat. Having an online course is not helpful for me, although others may have a different viewpoint. The course told me most things I already know already.

"Doing the online course has helped me change my perception of pain. And in doing so has taken a lot of the stress and anxiety that it causes away. I know I'll never be pain free but I now have the knowledge to be in control of it rather than it control me."

I have enjoyed the course and found the content interesting and hope it will help me for the future. Whilst I don't always think it will help with my physical problems, which have been ongoing for many years , the idea of exercise and relaxation is a positive one and I will continue. Exercises are always difficult to do but I will persevere with that. The pandemic has not helped in making me and a lot of others I am sure , get out of trim. A series of heart problems in the last year have knocked me back but I feel the encouragement given by doing a course with prompting has been very useful.