Pain@Otago aims to reduce the impact of pain on an individual, family, and societal level. We intend to engage with our communities to help determine the important research questions, and to widely disseminate our findings for the benefit of the wider community.
Follow news about our theme including research from members and upcoming events on our twitter page http://twitter.com/painotago
Events for the public
Past Events
Pain@Otago celebration showcase
During the 6 years that Pain@Otago has been a research theme there has been significant growth in the field of pain research. This event celebrated the collaborations with communities and other researchers across New Zealand and internationally.
Date: Friday 3rd December 2021
Programme available at https://www.otago.ac.nz/pain/research/otago834288.html
2020 Pain@Otago webinar series
- Persistent pain in refugees and marginalised populations. Alicia Emerson (High Point University, North Carolina) 27th February 12pm NZT
Pain in Children and Young Adults - 11 July 2018
Date: 11 July,
Time: 6 - 7.30pm,
Venue: St David's Lecture Theatre or Online at https://otago.zoom.us/j/326254470
Persistent Pain in children and adolescence is a significant health burden on family and society. It interferes with participation in schooling, sport/leisure activities, and relationship with peers; potentially leading to social isolation and/or loneliness. Research shows that a significant proportion of adolescents report pain and the rates of pain rise steeply from childhood to adolescence.
This panel discussion will highlight recent research in this area and discuss the best treatment approaches, encompassing the holistic experience of pain, for providing support to enhance function, despite having pain. This panel session is proudly part of the New Zealand International Science Festival www.scifest.org.nz
Read more about the event and programme
The power of the mind in controlling pain - 8 July 2018
As part of the New Zealand International Science Festival members of the Pain@Otago hosted a science demonstration on the power of mind in controlling your pain. We had a great day out at the Wall Street Mall and a fantastic response from the Dunedin community. Folks from 5 to 87 years old learning more about our theme and the power of the mind in pain!
Pictured right: members of the theme at the event.
Media
2019 media coverage
Professor David Baxter
Professor Dirk De Ridder
https://europeanpainfederation.eu/congress/artificial-intelligence-neurostimulation/
Dr Hemakumar Devan
www.noted.co.nz/health/health-health/chronic-pain-how-online-tools-can-help-manage
www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago731240.html
Dr Tracey Pons
www.noted.co.nz/health/health-health/exercise-can-be-cure-for-sore-back-knee
Professor Ted Shipton
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1903/S00028/burden-of-chronic-pain-in-nz-worse-than-diabetes-dementia.htm
2018 media coverage
Pain editorial in NZMJ - media coverage
Members of the Pain@Otago steering committee, Nicola Swain (Lead author), Louise Parr-Brownlie, Bronnie Lennox-Thompson, Ben Darlow, Ram Mani, and David Baxter, published an editorial in the New Zealand Medical Journal on six key points about pain:
- Pain is always real. Despite this, patients continue to be characterised as “malingering” or “attention seeking” and judgments are made about drug seeking or illness behaviours. “To query whether a particular patient's pain is real is a nonsense,” the editorial states.
- Persistent pain and acute pain need to be treated differently. There have been calls for persistent pain to be considered a disease in itself.
- Persistent pain is extremely common and increasing. Persistent pain, defined as pain that persists for at least six months, is extremely common and affects 20.2 per cent of the New Zealand population. The prevalence is rising both in New Zealand and globally, partly because of an aging population.
- Biomedical treatment has limited effectiveness.
- There are ethnicity and gender differences in perceptions and experience of pain. Pasifika and Asian populations are less likely to report pain than Europeans. There are also differences in the way men and women experience pain.
- Pain education is lacking.
For media coverage:
Chronic pain 'steals life' from one in five New Zealanderswww.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/chronic-pain-steals-life-one-in-five-new-zealanders-researcher-says
Persistent pain: One in five New Zealanders suffer and many can't get good helpwww.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12168508
Doctors told to believe patients in painwww.newshub.co.nz/home/health/2018/11/doctors-told-to-believe-patients-in-pain.html
The persistent pain affecting one in five Kiwiswww.newsroom.co.nz/2018/11/29/343093/one-in-five-living-with-persistent-pain
Pain common and increasing in prevalence in NZ - researchwww.voxy.co.nz/health/5/327285
Radio New Zealand - Dr Hem Devan: dealing with chronic pain
Hear Dr Hem Devan on Radio New Zealand (26 August 2018) talking about dealing with chronic pain:
A review published in the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association, features the work of NZ medical professionals and researchers, exploring how patients with chronic pain can best manage it. The review analysed 33 studies and the experiences of more than 500 people, and was undertaken by the University of Otago's School of Physiotherapy in Wellington, and the Pain Management Service of the Capital Coast District Health Board. Pain researcher Dr Hemakumar Devan, from the School of Physiotherapy was the lead researcher for the review. Listen to the interview.
Radio New Zealand - Why is it more painful if we hurt our toes when they're cold? Ram Mani
Hear Dr Ram Mani's explanation on RNZ's "One quick question" segment for
Why is it more painful if we hurt our toes when they're cold? Listen to Ram's response here.