Live More. Struggle Less.
It's easy to become trapped by chronic pain.
It takes control of lives. Affecting moods, functional ability, participation in meaningful activities, and overall quality of life.
Unfortunately, resources are often limited, information can be contradictory, and treatments provide only partial short-term relief, if any at all.
But don't give up hope. Recovery is possible.
The pain experience can change, even go away, by understanding it, accepting it, and changing how you approach it.
It takes control of lives. Affecting moods, functional ability, participation in meaningful activities, and overall quality of life.
Unfortunately, resources are often limited, information can be contradictory, and treatments provide only partial short-term relief, if any at all.
But don't give up hope. Recovery is possible.
The pain experience can change, even go away, by understanding it, accepting it, and changing how you approach it.
Understand painThe path to recovery starts with education to make sense of the pain so you don't have to focus on it or worry about it.
Pain is more than just a physical biomedical sensation. It's an experience shaped by an interplay of biological, psychological, and social contributors. Moreover, pain cannot simply be reduced to a number on a pain scale, nor is it a reliable measure of tissue damage or illness. |
Accept painIt's often the struggle with chronic pain and its related conditions like anxiety, depression, and fatigue, that is the worst part of having pain, not the pain itself.
The struggle can make it easy to be distressed and feel like a victim. To minimize the struggle, it's helpful to come to terms with the pain as your "new normal", accepting the pain as a part of life with no magical medical cure, not focusing on the pain, and not needing to reduce it or avoid it to participate in life. |
Change painIt's possible to change the pain experience and improve your quality of life.
This involves regulating your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions using active self-management skills and strategies such as personal responsibility, stress management, self-motivation, cognitive restructuring, goal-setting, day planning, meaningful movement, moderation, and modification to participate in everyday activities and make your life bigger than the pain. |
Read my published articles
- How to Move Patients from Passive Management to Active Self-Management - published in MedCentral
- A Letter to Pain Providers: 10 Do and Don’t Tips from a Chronic Pain Patient - published in HealthCentral
- We Have a Chronic Pain Problem, Not a Prescription Opioid Problem - published in HealthCentral
- Are You Missing Two-Thirds of Your Potential Pain Treatment Plan? - published in HealthCentral
- Five things I wish I knew earlier in my journey with chronic pain - published in StatNews
- Hopping Off the Pain Merry-go-round - published in Practical Pain Management
- My Time at the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center - published in HealthCentral
- Stop Whining and More No-Nonsense Tips from a Chronic Pain Champion - published in Practical Pain Management
- 25 Tips to Get the Best Treatment - published in National Pain Report
- Tinnitus: Part of a Larger Puzzle and Challenge - published by American Tinnitus Association
- Living With Chronic Pain: ‘Suffering Is a Choice, and I Choose Not to Suffer’ (GoodRX article about my experience)
Hear my story
- Fighting Pain Made It Worse — Here's What Finally Worked (Podcast episode hosted by Mark Kargela, DPT)
- A Path to Peace with Chronic Pain (Part of a Peace Talks Radio episode about what people do to seek peace with chronic pain)
- Compass Opioid Stewardship interview - Learning to Champion Chronic Pain (Podcast episode hosted by Don Stader, MD, and Rachael Duncan, PharmD)
Take Control
Imagine being in a car with chronic pain.
Where is the pain?
Is pain behind the steering wheel?
Determining where you go and what you do?
Or are you driving?
You can change the pain experience.
You can take control.
Imagine being in a car with chronic pain.
Where is the pain?
Is pain behind the steering wheel?
Determining where you go and what you do?
Or are you driving?
You can change the pain experience.
You can take control.
CHRONIC PAIN CHAMPIONS, LLC, AND THIS WEBSITE DO NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
All information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Use at your own risk.
By accessing/using this website and any related pages/information/products/services, you agree to the terms and conditions.
Please see the disclaimer page to learn more.
All information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Use at your own risk.
By accessing/using this website and any related pages/information/products/services, you agree to the terms and conditions.
Please see the disclaimer page to learn more.
© 2025 Chronic Pain Champions, LLC
All rights reserved.
For personal, non-commercial use.
All rights reserved.
For personal, non-commercial use.