Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Pain

by Sandra M. LeFort

Chronic pain includes many types of conditions from a variety of causes. This book is designed to help those suffering from chronic pain learn to better manage pain so they can get on with living a satisfying, fulfilling life. This resource stresses four each person with chronic pain is unique, and there is no one treatment or approach that is right for everybody; there are many things people with chronic pain can do to feel better and become more active and involved in life; with knowledge and experimentation, each individual is the best judge of which self-management tools and techniques are best for him or her; and, the responsibility for managing chronic pain on a daily basis rests with the individual and no one else. Acknowledging that overcoming chronic pain is a daily challenge, this workbook provides readers with the tools to overcome that test. A Moving Easy Program CD, which offers a set of easy-to-follow exercises that can be performed at home, is also included.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2015

Reviews

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Exceeded my expectations on every level. This is the best self-help book I have seen on pain management and healthy living. In an age of lazy medicine when pain pills are given out like candy and the medical professionals offer invasive surgery or dangerous physical therapy by "PTs" that are little more than insurance-paid personal trainers, this book puts the onus for pain management where it belongs: on the person suffering! Not for those dreaming of the quick fix, this book gives numerous paths for self-awareness and healing that put the responsibility on the person himself to find the best avenues for relief that work for him. From nutrition to exercise, meditation to seeking help and understanding from loved ones, this book gives the person with chronic pain positive and helpful suggestions to take back their own lives and not be overcome by the losses that a condition may bring. As the book reminds us often, there are many kinds of pain and each of us responds differently to the challenge that pain brings to our lives. I recommend it highly to anyone who has had enough and is ready to take on the challenge of ill-health or other losses to recover their own life for the enrichment of the days ahead.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not read front to back, easy to find the chapter you want to focus on. Good exerts and tips. Explained in a easy way and covers slot of the mental aspect of chronic pain and how to manage in a variety of ways

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads FirstReads. I read this book from two perspectives - as someone who has lived with chronic pain for over a decade and also as a rehabilitation therapist working with people who may be living with chronic pain. I found this book well laid out and organized. It is comprehensive without scaring the layman reader but with additional references for those who want more information. It is good that it was designed so that you can skip around the chapters for what makes sense for you. The larger format makes it easy to read, even for those with vision difficulties. I highly recommend it to those who are living with chronic pain but also for their family and treatment team.
The references for Canadian readers are very appreciated!!

[Danni Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this to see if I could find anything valuable in it. I did find a couple things, including an exercise plan I can adapt for my usage and a useful snippet of wisdom here and there. Overall, I definitely cannot recommend this book. It includes dangerous misinformation promoting weight loss, and pushes exercise according to standards that do not fit many people’s conditions. It contains no information specific to LGBTQ+ people and very little specific to people of color, as well as conspicuously blowing off addressing the impact of financial barriers to care/treatment. The intersections of trauma and disabilities other than a selected handful of conditions closely associated with chronic pain are also blatantly ignored. The tone of the book is condescending and often preachy. There was a real opportunity here to create a useful resource for people with chronic pain conditions, and instead we have a compendium of the least helpful “well-intentioned” advice that can easily be found via Google.

[Deanne Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an accredited Trainer in the "Chronic Pain Self-Management" Course. We use this book in the course and all whom have attended have decided to purchase the book.

It is easy to read, easy to understand and a fantastic asset for anyone who suffers Chronic Pain.

If anyone is interested in attending the course, contact your local 'Arthritis Australia' Business, there is one in every state. I hold ours on the North-East Coast of Tasmania. All Welcome.
If you do attend, partners/carers are encouraged to attend. We are holding our next course in February 2019.
Thank you
Deanne

[Jim Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot better than I thought it would be. I usually don’t like health books because they make me feel guilty because for living a sedentary, eat all the wrong things life. This book however was chocked full of good information that I didn’t even think to talk to the doctor about.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super great! They should hand these out in the waiting rooms at doctor’s offices.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those with chronic pain. Lots of great ideas, facts, exercises, etc to help.

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of information, much of it is medical with many referrals to studies done. It comes with an audio CD of the exercises suggested, which are nicely and clearly photographed. It may be a bit technical for some readers; I happen to be a nurse so am familiar with a lot of the terms used. It is a wealth of information and covers many different causes of chronic pain, ranging from injury to illnesses. This is an first read book which I won, and I'm glad I did!

[Lorna McCluskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book that I acquired through Goodreads Giveaways is an excellent resource book. The language is simple and easy to understand. Exercises are clearly explained. While the book doesn't go into great depth on every possible kind of chronic pain a person could be suffering, it gives excellent advice on how to live with chronic pain.
I'll certainly be keeping this book for future reference.

[Mary-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you live with chronic pain or are supporting someone with chronic pain, you should most definitely have read this book. I wish this book was around when my journey with chronic pain started over 15 years ago. It covers almost everything someone with chronic pain needs to know, especially when they are just starting out. It's extremely comprehensive, easy to read and well planned out. Doctors should hand out this book when they give you a diagnosis of chronic pain!

It doesn't push a certain medical approach like many other books. But gives you the patient tools to use so you can take control of how you are living your life, making sure that you can live a healthy life with chronic pain.

I would recommend this book to anyone I know who has a chronic pain condition!

[Melanie]

First book and workshop on this topic that I found to be helpful....EXTREMELY helpful. Anyone looking at this book already knows this journey is long and isolating wth not as much medical help available as your expectations may have previously demanded. This book delivers. Improvement takes time but this book, followed leads to hope and health improvements.