“The Formula” for balancing the complex equation of Chronic Pain

The Flippin’ Pain™ Formula

The Formula is a collection of resources co-created by health care professionals, pain scientists, communication experts and people living with pain.

Free to access, the Formula includes a series of fun animations, entertaining podcasts, infographics, and short quizzes, structured around Flippin’ Pain’s 6 key campaign messages:

Persistent pain is common, and can affect anyone
Hurt does not always mean harm
Everything matters when it comes to pain
Medicines and surgeries are often not the answer
Understanding pain is key
Recovery is possible

Why is it needed?

Along with the many other materials and resource links on the Flippin’ Pain website, the Formula is a haven for people living with pain, where they can engage in learning about pain, feel empowered to take back control and develop the confidence to make informed decisions about how to take steps forward.

Being available digitally means that people can engage at a time and place convenient to them. This is significant, not just because of the current restrictions on conventional access to services due to Covid, but because many individuals affected by pain experience challenges related to their mobility and travel, and their capacity for prolonged concentration.

Richard Pell, Campaign Director of Flippin’ Pain says;

“Achieving the maximum benefit from learning about pain tends to require truly flipping your understanding of pain- a complete change in beliefs and understanding. This is challenging, takes time, and concerted effort. We believe that the Flippin’ Pain Formula represents an opportunity for people to undertake this journey in a way that’s engaging, accessible, and flexible to their preferences and circumstances.”

What people have said

“The Formula provides light at the end of the tunnel for people with persistent pain: Clear education and a roadmap on how to recover, with a healthy dose of realism and the message that it requires work on your part to progress on your journey.”

Laura (Person with persistent pain- Sheffield)

“Living with pain can quickly become debilitating. The Flippin’ Pain resources aim to help people understand how pain works. Having this knowledge can enable those with persistent pain to take back control and decide for themselves how their pain could be better managed.”

Fen (Person with persistent pain- Lincolnshire)

“If I was at the beginning of understanding pain this resource would absolutely give me the confidence to take this knowledge on board and develop a mindset to tackle the pain science and how it affects my life. It is like it has this totally go getter feel to it without preaching, without smugness.”

Ruth (Person with persistent pain- Ayrshire)

Persistent pain is a global problem that affects up to half of the UK population. It accounts for one third of all registered disability and it is estimated that low back pain alone results in an annual indirect productivity cost of between £5 billion and £10.7 billion to UK workplaces. In 2016, £537 million was spent on prescribing pain-relieving medications.

[Source: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-ng10069/documents/final-scope]