Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust is working as a group with Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, under the name of NHS Humber Health Partnership. As such, you’ll find information for both Trust’s on this page.
Our Chronic Pain Service sees patients from across the region but is based at Castle Hill Hospital with services delivered on an outpatient basis. Our aim is to give high quality care based on evidence and current recommendations. We believe everyone living with chronic pain has the right to live well, access updated information, support and interventions. This will help patients and their carers understand how best to manage persistent pain.
Appointments are carried out either face to face or via telephone. The consultant will agree a suitable management plan with you.
What is chronic pain?
Any pain that lasts more than three to six months despite medication or treatment, or that the underlying tissue damage has resolved. Pain is a useful tool to help the body signal when there is damage or something is wrong.
“Your brain will make pain when it concludes that your body tissues are in danger and you need to do something about it” (Mosely & Butler, 2015).
These messages can help protect us from harm. However, sometimes this system can go wrong and the brain can interpret the impulses and messages from the body as pain even when there is no physical cause.
With chronic pain the nerves continue to send signals to the brain despite there being no injury, danger or inflammation. The brain then continues to send back the signals that trigger the feeling and experience of pain. As a result pain is still felt. It can be very frustrating to learn that there is no physical or medical cause for the pain. Research explains that the nervous system is oversensitive and continues to behave as though there is ongoing disease or injury. Pain comes from the body and the mind, so thoughts and feelings can modify pain experiences in big ways. Thoughts and feelings can also affect the choices that you make. They can affect how you approach daily activities, or what you do during a flare-up. These choices will in turn affect your pain experiences.
Take time to watch the following videos to help understand the concept of chronic pain:
What services are available?
Pain Interventions
Our consultants offer a wide range of pain interventions on an out-patient basis at the Day Surgery Unit at Castle Hill Hospital including:
- Medial Branch Block and Radiofrequency Ablation
- Nerve Block Injections
- Epidural Injections
- Bursa Injections
- Ganglion Nerve Block
Pain Management Programme
We offer a tailored programme to help patients to live better with pain. We help them learn how to deal with the long-term effects of pain in a positive and healthy way. The programme is designed to help you feel in control of your pain. And to help you learn relaxation and ways to manage your pain on a day-to-day basis. It is led by our pain specialist nurses and specialist pain psychologists and specialist physiotherapist. It is carried out one-to-one via telephone appointments; usually about 6. You will work through a booklet under the guidance of the nurse. Alternatively we offer a group based pain management programme at Castle Hill Hospital. This would be discussed with you after an initial screening assessment telephone call by our specialist nurse.
Acupuncture
We offer British Medical Acupuncture, which has evolved from traditional Chinese method and is used to treat mainly musculoskeletal pain. It stimulates the nervous system and can help to lessen pain.
This service is delivered at the East Riding Community Hospital. We hold clinics on: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons only.
To access this service you must be referred by a Pain Consultant and you would be assessed to establish if you meet the criteria for this service.
Pain Psychology
Sometimes pain can have a greater impact on our mental health and well-being. This needs expert knowledge and treatment to help manage this well. In our team, a clinical psychologist gives one-to-one sessions with patients who need extra support to manage the psychological impact. A referral is made by one of the pain consultants or one of the pain specialist nurses.
Referrals
Your GP will need to refer you to the Chronic Pain Service. There your referral will be assessed by one of the consultants. Even as an inpatient in our hospital, your referral to our service must still be done via your GP. Your discharge letter can include a request to your GP to consider a referral to the Pain Service.
Contact us
Pain Management Service
Admin Block
Castle Hill Hospital
Cottingham
HU16 5JQ
Telephone: 01482 478868
Please leave your details and a brief message and a member of the pain team will contact you.