On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, I welcome Alison Sim on the show to discuss persistent pain. Alison Sim has a keen interest in educating health professionals about the latest science surrounding pain, especially pain that hangs around – chronic or persisting pain. Alison qualified as an osteopath in 2001. She has a Masters of Pain Management from Sydney University Medical School and Royal North Shore Pain Management Research Institute. She has lectured at Australian Catholic University, Victoria University, RMIT and George Fox University in a variety of science and clinical subjects. She has also worked as part of the teaching team at Deakin University Medical School and is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

In this episode, we discuss:

-Societal and financial implications of chronic pain

-How Alison develops a therapeutic alliance with patients with persistent pain

-Lessons from Pain Heroes: Stories of Hope and Recovery

-The importance of empowering patients and enhancing their control over their symptoms

-And so much more!

"People are starting to catch on but these things take ages to translate through to shifts in healthcare systems."

"A multimodal, biopsychosocial approach is what's required to get the best outcomes."

"I really place a lot of value on listening and understanding. From that platform, you have a lot more opportunity to make change."

"Don't take the responsibility of the patient's outcomes to heart."

For more information on Alison:

Alison Sim has a keen interest in educating health professionals about the latest science surrounding pain, especially pain that hangs around – chronic or persisting pain.

Pain science can be quite disheartening as a topic – there are no magic bullets or quick fixes. The science can sometimes paint a bleak picture of poor outcomes for any single modality approach. This makes engaging with this material difficult and the result is that practitioners might choose to avoid exploring the material at all. Alison's seminars and workshops aim to investigate the approaches that have a strong evidence base of proven results and demonstrate how they can be applied in clinical practice. This means better outcomes for your clients and patients.

Alison qualified as an osteopath in 2001. She has a Masters of Pain Management from Sydney University Medical School and Royal North Shore Pain Management Research Institute. She has lectured at Australian Catholic University, Victoria University, RMIT and George Fox University in a variety of science and clinical subjects. She has also worked as part of the teaching team at Deakin University Medical School and is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

Alison works part time at Brighton Spinal and Sports Clinic and welcomes referrals for patients with chronic pain. http://www.brightonspinal.com.au

Resources discussed on this show:

Brighton Spine and Sports Clinic Website

Beyond Mechanical Pain Website

Pain Heroes: Stories of Hope and Recovery

Beyond Mechanical Pain Twitter

Beyond Mechanical Pain Facebook

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Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!

Xo Karen