Chronic pain management

How does the Community Chronic Pain Management Program work?

Facilitated by specially trained health professionals including an Exercise Physiologist and an Aboriginal Health Worker, CCPMP aims help participants develop skills and knowledge in the following areas:

• Understanding the mechanism for chronic pain and its effects
• Living with chronic pain and how to improve quality of life
• Self-help routines and daily activity planning
• Goal setting, tracking progress and problem solving
• The role of physical activity and cognitive behaviour therapy in pain management
• Emotional and other coping strategies for dealing with pain including relaxation, coping and distraction techniques
• Managing flare ups

How do I access the Community Chronic Pain Management Program?

The program is available in Dubbo and Wellington and runs over six weeks, consisting of weekly 2-3-hour group sessions.

To be eligible for the program, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Identified by their GP as having chronic pain
• Pain has persisted longer than three months or beyond the normal healing time of an injury – resulting in declining functional and psychological wellbeing (eg musculoskeletal pain, whiplash, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia)
• Independently mobile
• Self-motivated and willingness to complete set tasks at home
• Ability and preparedness to attend all sessions

CCMP is not suitable for participants with the inability to participate in a group setting, significant or unstable mental health concerns or people with significant disability. Participants can self-refer into the program or be referred by their GP.

This service is supported by funding from the Western NSW PHN through the Australian Government’s PHN program.