Mount Gambier is set to host a pain revolution which aims to put the brakes on persistent pain.
The Blue Lake city will be a focal point of the Pain Revolution, as it hosts a peloton of passionate pain experts cycling across regional SA and Victoria, along with a community event and one-day workshop for health professional in Mount Gambier.
Sponsored by UniSA and AIA Australia, the Pain Revolution team will cycle 750km from Mount Gambier to Horsham between September 14-21, delivering dynamic seminars about the science of pain and what people struggling with chronic pain can do to create positive change.
Comprising a cycling team of 21 dedicated pain researchers, clinicians, carers, and champions (and supported by a 16-person crew) the Pain Revolution Rural Outreach Tour will commence in Mount Gambier on September 14, cycling to Beachport, Coonawarra, Hamilton, Ararat and Halls Gap, ending in Horsham on September 21.
At locations along the way, including Mount Gambier, the Pain Revolution will deliver free ‘The Science of Why We Hurt’ sessions for local communities to better understand the complex science behind pain in an accessible and entertaining way.
The team will also offer two special half-day events for health professionals: PainFest in Mount Gambier and Pain SkillsFest in Horsham to expand their knowledge of pain and help inform best practice.
In Australia, one in five people suffer from persistent pain. People who live in regional and remote Australia are more likely to have chronic pain than those who live in major cities.
Pain Revolution CEO and UniSA Professor Lorimer Moseley AO said it’s time to revolutionise how we go about solving the problem of persistent pain.
“There’s no doubt that chronic pain is crippling rural and regional Australia. But our understanding of chronic pain and how best to treat it has transformed over the past two decades,” Prof Moseley said.
“People living in rural and country areas have a higher prevalence of chronic pain, but have less access to appropriate pain management interventions, and through the Pain Revolution’s Rural Outreach Tour, we’re looking to change this.
“But the evidence is clear: the first and critical step is helping people rethink how pain works and how they already have the resources, built in inside them, to reduce its impact and head towards recovery.
“We have learnt so much about how best to tackle chronic pain, but it is hard, and it requires a team effort.
“The Pain Revolution’s mission is to share this knowledge and to empower people to return to the activities and life they want but at the moment cannot get to because of chronic pain. We all know someone in this situation and it’s time to get moving, together, to reduce the impact of what is currently humanity’s most disabling health condition.”
Prof Moseley said that local professionals play a vital role in educating rural communities about pain.
“Rural health professionals are the lynchpins of an education-based pain revolution. We train and support them to gain a new understanding of pain and then bring that to their colleagues, patients and communities,” Prof Moseley said.
“We must recognise the power of understanding a new way to tackle the problem and ‘dance to the data’ that backs that up.
“Bringing the peloton of science, education, clinical and lived experience experts, to the regions reflects our commitment to building capacity and sustainable impact to these regions.
“Ultimately, the goal is to create a domino effect in pain understanding: providing rural health professionals with foundational pain science knowledge, and helping them to bring their discoveries to their peers and communities.
“Together, and only together, we can reduce the enormous impact of persistent pain.”
The Mount Gambier Community Event: The Science of Why We Hurt will be held on Saturday, September 14 from 9am-10.45am at UniSA’s Bob and Gayle Cowan Auditorium.
Residents are being invited to join the event for a morning of science and entertainment.
This talk is for gardeners, farmers, talkers, walkers, bird spotters and cheese clotters. It will open your eyes to new and unexpected ways you can improve your life and that of your loved ones. Learn about the links between pain, anxiety and stress, nature, knowledge and know-how you already have. No matter your age, ability or wellbeing. Get ready to be surprised and relieved at what you can already do to feel better for longer.
Topics on the day include “How to train a dragon” as Professor Lorimer Moseley explains how pain and anxiety act like a protective dragon. Understand and retrain these feelings with science-based techniques.
There will also be a marketplace with networking and resources where attendees can discover more illusions, explore valuable resources, and connect with local pain champions offering ongoing support.
The Mount Gambier Painfest will be held on Saturday, September 14 from 10.45am-6.30pm when leading experts in pain science and education come together to explore innovative approaches in pain care. The event will feature Prof Lorimer Moseley, A Prof Tasha Stanton, Prof Mark Hutchinson and Dr Jane Chalmers.
