Airing Pain 2: Nerve Pain and How to Manage it

How problems with the nervous system can give rise to chronic pain, a personal success story of pain management and a Q&A with pain specialist Dr Mark Turtle

Elizabeth Carrigan of the Australian Pain Management Association talks about how pain management techniques helped her come to terms with chronic neuropathic pain after spinal injury. We speak to experts on neuropathic pain about how nerve damage can lead to prolonged pain and the drug treatments available, including amitriptyline, anti-epileptic drugs and the more controversial opioids. We also take a look at the issue of chronic pain after nerves are damaged in surgery or chemotherapy.

Also in the programme: Dr Mark Turtle is in the chair for our Q&A session providing answers to your questions about living with and managing pain.

Issues covered in this programme include:  Activity, amitriptyline, analgesic, anti-epileptic, anti-inflammatory, cancer pain, capsaicin cream, CBT/cognitive behavioural therapy, chemotherapy-induced pain, chickenpox, codeine, diabetes, drug, exercise, gabapentin, herpes, hypersensitivity, irritation, joint, medication, morphine, nerve damage, nervous system, neuropathic pain, opioids, post-herpetic neuralgia, post-surgical pain, pregabalin, prescription, psychology, rash, relaxation, shingles, side-effect, spinal injury, stretching, TENS, tricyclic antidepressant, Velcade and Versatis.

Contributors:

• Dr Steve Allen, Neuropathic Pain
• Elizabeth Carrigan, Living with Pain
• Professor Blair Smith, Neuropathic Pain
• Lionel Kelleway, Living with Pain
• Jan Barton, Growing up in Pain
• Dr Mick Serpell, Neuropathic Pain
• Dr Paul Farquar-Smith, Post-operative Pain
• Dr Julie Bruce, Post-operative Pain.