Unfortunatelyet set backs are an inevitable part of your journey.  The main thing to do is not panic, it does not mean you have gone back to square one!  Rest for a day or two.  It is always worth considering what could have caused the flare up; was it something stressful in your life or did you try to do too much?  A very common scenario happens when people have a good day and try to cram everything in to it. This nearly always leads to a set back.

• Go back to your baseline level.  This is the level of activity that you can do when you are having a bad day.
• Plan your recovery.  Crucial to this is Pacing.  Pacing is a graded exposure to an activity or movement in ways that don’t cause pain.
• Gradually build up from here, don’t attempt too much too soon.  You will have a much quicker recovery if you believe in yourself!

We have a flare up clinic available for patients. Speak to the Pain Service secretary for more information.

There are also a number of treatment options you could consider:

• One to One Physiotherapy Session -  with hands on treatment, myofascial release, home and gym exercise advice/program to help turn down the overactive pain alarm system.
• Acupuncture - can be a powerful tool to calm down pain and allow you to engage fully with the programme.
• Stretch Class – class duration 1 hour -  when muscles and tissues become excessively tight; our gentle stretch class can calm things down and allow you to move more comfortably.
• Functional Movement Class – class duration 45 minutes – the class consists of a gentle warm up, 6 stations and a cool down. You will move from station to station. The exercises aim to improve your co-ordination, balance and body awareness. The difficulty of the exercises can be varied to make things challenging but not too demanding. Evidence shows that this is a good way of tackling long term pain problems.
• Relaxation Techniques Group – this course consists of three sessions, running for 1 hour each week for 3 weeks. It explains the importance of regular mental and physical relaxation as a tool for helping to control pain and teaches the techniques involved in successful relaxation. The main types of relaxation covered in the course are paced breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness.
• Think Well Cognitive Group – this course consists of three sessions, running for 1 hour each week for 3 weeks. It explains how the symptoms of pain are very influenced by the way we all think. If we can become more aware of how our thoughts affect our experience of pain, then they can become a powerful tool in lowering the intensity of long term pain and learning how to control it. The course introduces participants to this concept and teaches the techniques to be able to “turn the volume down” on their own pain. The sessions cover three main areas; the cognitive behaviour model, helpful vs unhelpful thinking patterns and what gets in the way of pacing and how to make it more effective.
• Individual Therapy Sessions – sessions are available for a 30 minute face-to-face appointment with a Clinical Psychologist. These are tailored to the needs of the client, and focus on helping them to manage their pain better, and are confidential. If a psychologist feels that a client would benefit from a longer, in depth course of therapy they will be signposted to local NHS talking therapy services for further help. It is widely understood that people dealing with long term pain often have many challenges to face in life as a result of, or complicated by, their condition. Having  an opportunity to go through these with an experienced therapist can help to reduce their stress and make the most of their time with the pain clinic generally and improve their quality of life. 
• Group Hypnotherapy – this course consists of three sessions, running for 1 hour each week for 3 weeks. Hypnotherapy uses a natural state that we go in and out of on a daily basis. It may help a variety of conditions such as sleep disturbance and anxiety. We offer hypnotherapy classes in a small group setting run by a qualified Hypnotherapist. Each session starts with a short presentation followed by the hypnotherapy which is recorded which allows the patient to listen to the recording at home on a regular basis.