What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is defined as pain that has persisting longer than expected (longer than tissue healing time), typically around 3 to 6 months. Chronic pain and stress are experienced by approximately 20% of the global population. The cost is huge and dollar/pound/euro figures do not cover the impact on families and loss of creativity and productivity and its social impact. As many as one in four children experience chronic pain. About 5% of children have moderate to severe pain. The ultimate goal of this new book resource is to reduce the overall burden of chronic pain.
About the author
Dr Joshua W. Pate, PhD MRes MPhysio
Josh is a pain scientist, children’s book author, clinician and educator from Sydney, Australia. His PhD drove him deep into the world of investigating what people, particularly children, think about pain. Working with a team of leading pain researchers, the Concept of Pain Inventory (COPI) was developed and published in 2020. Since then, Josh has worked as a university lecturer, and the COPI tool has begun being adapted for different age groups and languages.
Josh has also written for TED-Ed animations about pain, and is a co-founder of the One Thing platform (onething.painsci.org). By building learning resources like this Zoe and Zak Pain Hacks series, Josh dreams that the next generation can (and will!) benefit from learning about the complexity of the science of pain.
But first and foremost, Josh is husband to Anna and a dad who LOVES reading to their three kids.
About the book series
Clinicians, educational experts, and researchers from around the world have reviewed and endorsed these books as helping educators to work effectively with children challenged by persistent pain. This book series can help:
Children living with chronic pain
• to learn about their body’s incredible protective system
• to feel acknowledged and validated in their experiences
• to actively engage with school, sports, family and friends
Parents and caregivers
• to develop an understanding of the complexity of pain
• to encourage evidence-based discussions with children
• to help children thrive
Clinicians working with paediatric chronic pain
• to have up-to-date and targeted resources that will form the foundation for pain education
• to easily integrate the latest neuroscience into pain treatment programs
School teachers
• to guide children experiencing pain through strategies to maximise class participation
• to promote wellbeing and resilience for all children through the lens of pain
About the publisher
Neuro Orthopaedic Institute Australasia (Noigroup) is a privately owned education provider and publishing house working predominantly from an office in Adelaide, Australia, and more recently – New York, US. The company prides itself in its reinvestment in education and clinically based research and Noigroup Publications has grown from the demand for resources to support this emerging research. Now entering its fourth decade, Noigroup manages highly qualified instructors, on all continents, presenting the latest in pain science to multidisciplinary audiences. Noigroup’s faculty members are active in many conferences, university programmes and other postgraduate education sessions.
More resources
Painaustralia is Australia’s leading pain advocacy body working to improve the quality of life of people living with pain, their families and carers, and to minimise the social and economic burden of pain on individuals and the community.