Empowered Beyond Pain – Details, episodes & analysis

Surgery is often a consideration for many people with back pain, it's the top of the medical triangle, and many believe it will fix them. But Orthopaedic Surgeon, Scientist and Author, Professor Ian Harris, see's it differently. In this episode, he talks to Prof. Peter O'Sullivan, Dr JP Caneiro and Kevin Wernli about all things surgery, placebo, research and pain. We also hear the story of Steve, a 26year old who had disabling back pain for 6 years, was on strong opioids, had multiple surgeries including a spinal fusion, but was still battling. Fortunately, he found his way onto a study researching back pain that Kevin Wernli completed as part of his PhD. 

Key things discussed: 
- The effectiveness (or not) of spinal surgery. 
- Why there are such differences in outcomes in workers compensation patients.
- Is pain all in your head? 
- Alarming rates of increasing surgery rates in the private sector vs public sector, and why that might be. 
- A call for better evidence (and who should fund it!).
- The key question patients NEED to ask their healthcare professionals. 

Show notes available at https://www.bodylogic.physio/podcast 

A huge thanks to ABC and ABC 730 for granting us permission to use their content for educational purposes. 

Twitter handles @EBPPodcast @PeteOSullivanPT @JPCaneiro @KWernliPhysio 
*Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. For educational purposes only. Created and produced by Kevin Wernli

Pain flare ups are unfortunately common, and they can be really distressing, especially if your feeling like you've been making good progress. But there are some misconceptions which can keep you in a loop. Professor Peter O'Sullivan and Dr JP Caneiro discuss patient voice Jamie's journey through the ups and downs of flare ups. 

My take homes:
- Flare ups, while not pleasant, are unfortunately common and a pretty normal part of recovery. 
- While they can be terrifying in the moment, the don’t last forever, and can be an incredible learning opportunity. 
- They are usually more related to things that sensitise our system, like poor sleep, stressful times, being more sedentary, working longer hours, not having time to recover or doing too much too soon, and infrequently relate to creating further damage - even though it may be really painful. 
- Although it can feel like a big step back and that you’ve un-done all your progress, this is rarely the case, you may find it helpful to think of it as a temporary ‘pause’ on your progress, not a restart. 

Show notes available at https://www.bodylogic.physio/podcast Twitter handles @EBPPodcast @PeteOSullivanPT @JPCaneiro @KWernliPhysio *Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. For educational purposes only. Created and produced by Kevin Wernli

Low back pain is the worlds most disabling health condition and costs more than cancer and diabetes combined. A scientific journal article covering 10 facts about low back pain was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101611). The origins and motivations for that paper, as well as patient stories were covered in episode 4 and 5 of the podcast. This episode covers in detail low back pain fact number 2: 'Getting older is not a cause of back pain' with some of the authors: Professor Peter O’Sullivan and Kevin Wernli. Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast Our twitter: https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio Please note: the topic of suicide does come up in this conversation. If you are having suicidal thoughts, please remember you are not alone and help is available. Please tell someone you trust - in Australia, Lifeline are ready to help 24/7 on 13 11 14 *Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

Low back pain is the world's most disabling health condition and costs more than cancer and diabetes combined. A scientific journal article covering 10 facts about low back pain was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101611). The origins and motivations for that paper, as well as patient stories, were covered in episodes 4 and 5 of the podcast. This episode covers in detail low back pain fact number 1: Persistent back pain can be scary, but it’s rarely dangerous with some of the authors: Professor Peter O’Sullivan and Kevin Wernli. Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast Our twitter: https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio *Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

Beliefs can play a HUGE role in peoples pain journey. This week we welcome Dr Sam Bunzli who is a post doctoral researcher at the University of Melbourne leading qualitative research within the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Total Joint Replacement. She has methodological expertise in qualitative research and content expertise in health beliefs, behaviour and clinical communication. Together with Professor Peter O'Sullivan, Dr JP Caneiro and Kevin Wernli, the four discuss what beliefs are, how they're formed, the influence they have on pain, and what to do about them. Based on the article authored by JP, Sam and Pete in the Brazilian Physical Therapy Journal: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2020.06.003 Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast Our twitter: https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio *Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

Part 3 of our Osteoarthritis mini-series. In this episode guest host Jennifer Persaud from Arthritis and Osteoporosis WA talks to Dr JP Caneiro about:
- When a consultation with a surgeon is appropriate
- Can care for osteoarthritis be done via online video consultations?
- Tips and advice as well as where to find more good quality resources.

Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast
Our twitter: https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT
https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro
https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio

*Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

Part 2 of our Mini-series on Osteoarthritis guest hosted by Jennifer Persaud. Today, Jennifer and JP discuss: - The call-to-action for therapists treating osteoarthritis (based on https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/5/256 ) - Self management strategies for joint pain - How structure is important, but only one of a handful of considerations for those with joint pain. Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast Our twitter: https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio *Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

This week we welcome Jennifer Persaud as guest host. Jennifer is the manager of Health, Education and Research at Arthritis and Osteoporosis Western Australia ( https://www.arthritiswa.org.au/ ). She has a Q and A session with our very own Dr JP Caneiro and asks all the common questions people have about osteoarthritis. Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast Our twitter: https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio *Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

Osteoarthritis is extremely common and it's management in the health system has a lot of room for improvement. We talk with Professor Stefan Lohmander, an orthopaedic surgeon and world leading researcher of the condition. Following this, Professor Peter O'Sullivan, Dr JP Caneiro and Kevin Wernli discuss:

Common misconceptions of Osteoarthritis
Current understanding of the condition
Whether scans or imaging is needed
the GLAD program
The silver lining of cancelled elective surgeries (like joint replacements)
Sample case studies

Show notes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast

Our twitter:
https://twitter.com/EBPPodcast
https://twitter.com/PeteOSullivanPT
https://twitter.com/JPCaneiro
https://twitter.com/KWernliPhysio

*Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli

Back pain is a world-leading cause of disability and is more costly than cancer and diabetes combined. In this weeks episode, some of the amazing people who presented the facts about back pain from this scientific research paper (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101611 ) share their stories. We also talk to prominent global patient advocate, Joletta Belton (https://twitter.com/mycuppajo and https://www.mycuppajo.com/ ) about her journey of where she was, where she is now, and how she got there.

Back pain facts videos can be found at https://bodylogic.physio/news/ten-low-back-pain-facts-videos/

Pain health website: https://painhealth.csse.uwa.edu.au/

Shownotes: www.bodylogic.physio/podcast

*Peter O’Sullivan and JP Caneiro were awarded specialisation by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005 and 2013 respectively. Theme music by Fervun and Cash. Produced by Kevin Wernli