In this Episode, as PAINSTORM celebrates four years of research into Neuropathic Pain, its causes, potential treatments and the differences which can be made for people living with this devastating condition, Fiona Talkington and Mark Smalley head to Berlin, for the international conference about Neuropathic Pain ‘NeuPSIG25’. They observe the PAINSTORM team in their global context and meet some of the international delegates, from well-known names in research to those just beginning their careers in pain research and management. There’s a note of hope for those living with Neuropathic Pain and a real energy in the importance of embracing the participation of patients. And we hear from some of PAINSTORM’s own team of Patient Partners who have played a key role in the project. CONTRIBUTORS Professor David Bennett, Oxford Dr Andreas Themistocleous, Oxford Lyndsey Mugford, Oxford John Locke, Oxford Jo Josh, Patient Partner, PAINSTORM Gordon Liddle, Patient Partner,PAINSTORM Katie Allen, Aberdeen Professor Lesley Colvin, Dundee Dr Ted Price, Dallas, Texas Professor Pat Dougherty, Houston, Texas Professor Andrew Rice, President IASP Dr Katie Holzer, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri Dr Simon Haroutounian, Washington University, St Louis And other delegates at NeuPSIG25, Berlin, September 2025

RESOURCES https://neupsigcongress.org https://www.iasp-pain.org/resources/living-with-pain/ https://www.painstorm.co.uk/home

PAINCAST - the PAINSTORM podcast, Episode 3

Presented and produced by Fiona Talkington and Mark Smalley for PAINSTORM in association with Pain Research Reading

The Puzzle of Pain - What is Pain Research?

A panel discussion recorded in the Great Hall of the University of Reading, 22 June 2025.

As part of a day of events, talks, demonstrations and art, organised by Pain Research Reading and the University of Reading in association with PAINSTORM,

an audience was invited to bring their questions to the sumptuous surroundings of the University’s Great Hall for a discussion about Pain Research.  What does that actually  mean? What are the challenges?  What does it mean for people with lived experience of chronic neuropathic pain?

A panel of pain experts was hosted by Fiona Talkington and led by Professor David Bennett (head of PAINSTORM, University of Oxford).  It also included Professor Andrew Rice (PAINSTORM, Imperial College and President of the IASP), Professor Annina Schmid (PAINSTORM and University of Oxford),  Professor Ed Keogh (PAINSTORM advisory board and University of Bath) and Dr Wiebke Gandhi (Pain Research Reading and University of Reading).

PAINCAST - a creative podcast  from the PAINSTORM  clinical research team and its patient partners  exploring  neuropathic pain and the impact of living with it. Presented and co-produced by BBC broadcaster and writer Fiona Talkington who lives with neuropathic pain.

 In Episode 2 she and co-producer Mark Smalley hear from: 

* Professor David Bennett - leader of the PAINSTORM research project

* BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner on 20 years of living with chronic neuropathic pain

* Clinical Psychologist Dr Whitney Scott from King’s College London and the INPUT Pain Unit, and PAINSTORM researcher on “navigating life alongside pain”.

* Professor Andrew Rice on 40 years of being at the forefront of pain research and pain management

* Dancer Anusha Subramanyam who helps Fiona explore her relationship with her pain through the medium of Indian dance.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/whats-the-point-of-pain/p0gbsy0y
https://www.flippinpain.co.uk

https://www.paintoolkit.org

https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-use-tools-from-act-to-live-with-persistent-pain

BOOK

Michael Nicholas,  ‘Manage Your Pain’, Souvenir Press, 2001
 
 
 WHAT IS PAINCAST: NEUROPATHIC PAIN UNRAVELLED?

A collaborative podcast from the PAINSTORM research team exploring the experience of neuropathic pain.

Artwork: "The Pain of it All”,  Michele Angelo Petrone, Wellcome Foundation

The Paincast podcast is a novel collaboration between people living with chronic neuropathic pain and medical researchers. It’s presented and co-produced by BBC Radio presenter and writer Fiona Talkington, who lives with neuropathic pain. 

“We hope that this podcast will lead to a wider understanding of neuropathic pain and its often devastating and disruptive effects on peoples’ lives”, says Fiona.  “We hope it will prove helpful for people living with neuropathic pain, for their carers, families and employers as well as all levels of the medical professions and researchers.

In Episode 1 we hear: 

· How chronic neuropathic pain affects around 8% of the UK population, and usually occurs following damage or injury to the sensory nervous system; 

· David Bennett, professor of neurology and neurobiology at Oxford University, who leads the multi-disciplinary PAINSTORM research project that the podcast accompanies, explains that the condition can be caused by conditions as varied as diabetes, HIV, chemotherapy for cancer treatment, or traumatic injury such as amputation;

· How living with  neuropathic pain can affect relationships;

Fiona speaks to Anusha Subramanyam, a dancer, teacher and dance movement therapist who has helped people living with chronic pain express their experiences of it through the medium of dance.