Pain Management Outside the Box
A Day of Innovation and Ideas at the RSM
On behalf of Pain Concern, I attended the Royal Society of Medicine’s Pain Management Outside the Box conference on Wednesday 16th October. It was held in a large room with books from the floor to the ceiling. These shelves, bursting with years of research and information, reflected our meeting: a conference brimming with new ideas and fascinating research from an eclectic range of doctors and academics. The programme ranged from hypnosis for pain management (Dr Rebecca Berman) to the placebo effect (Professor Flis Bishop), to name only a few.

Exploring Alternative Perspectives on Pain Management
All the talks were fascinating. They encouraged further dialogues about alternative methods for and perspectives on pain management. For example, one discussion re-evaluated how people who live with chronic pain perceive time (Professor Ruth Ogden). There was also a perfect pre-lunch talk on the relationship between microbiomes and pain management and the recent use of faecal transplantation (Dr Gillian Chumbley (OBE)).

The highlights for me were Dr Deepak Ravindran’s opening talk on the importance of trauma-informed care and Professor Rui Loureiro’s discussion on virtual reality for rehabilitation.
The Role of Trauma in Pain Management
Dr Ravindran presented the integral role that trauma can sometimes play in a patient’s pain. He discussed how conversations about childhood adversities between medical professionals and patients are as important as conversations about a patient’s drinking or smoking history when determining a care plan. Dr Ravindran’s convictions on trauma-informed care were very interesting and it was extremely refreshing to hear from someone who clearly puts his patients at the heart of everything he does.
Virtual Reality: A New Frontier for Pain Relief
Professor Loureiro’s talk on virtual reality and the possibilities of using technology for pain management left me reeling. The professor talked us through creating an interactive environment and combining virtual reality with robotics for motor control. It was especially incredible to see how this combination could be utilised to help those with phantom limb pain. Pain can be alleviated by allowing the user to trick their mind into thinking their limb is there through the virtual reality environment.

A Stimulating Day of Cutting-Edge Discussions
Overall, the conference was extremely stimulating. It was exciting to be surrounded by so many pioneering minds and discussions around pain.
Reported and written by Beth Evans, arts editor with Pain Concern. Edited by Megan Hayes © 2024 Pain Concern.