Pain management is more than just treating the causes of pain. How you communicate with patients shapes how they think about their pain–the right educational tools can improve recovery rates by mitigating the effect pain has on the rest of a patient’s life.

In this episode of the Pain Matters Podcast, guest host Beth Darnall, PhD., sits down with Penney Cowan, the founder and CEO of the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA), an institution dedicated to educating patients and patient families for more than 40 years. They discuss Penney’s journey from a patient suffering from pain to a leading figure in the world of pain management and how her work revolutionized how we talk about pain today.

Tune in to discover:

• How patients experience pain differently than doctors might think 
• Innovative tools that bridge the communication gap between doctors and patients
• Strategies medical professionals can use to help patients cope with pain
• How pain extends far beyond the patient’s body
• Why addressing pain is just as important as treating the underlying condition
• How listening to patients can help doctors improve treatment