Let Them Know How Strong You Are

National Pain Week 2023, Australia’s annual event dedicated to raising awareness about chronic pain, is underway. Chronic Pain Australia aims to shed light on the challenges faced by individuals living with chronic pain and hopes to eliminate social and other obstacles associated with its management. This year’s theme, ‘Let them know how strong you are’ and ‘painchanger,’ aims to dismantle the stigma surrounding discussions about chronic pain and seeking appropriate care. Many individuals are conditioned to conceal their pain, fearing that revealing it may make them appear weak.

Unfortunately, the prevalent “she’ll be right” attitude often prevails when addressing individuals with chronic pain, resulting in exacerbated and long-term consequences for the individuals themselves, as well as their families, friends, and colleagues.

During this National Pain Week, we are advocating for a nationwide dialogue on the experiences of people living with chronic pain. By fostering these discussions on a national scale, we can disseminate valuable resources and tools to support those enduring chronic pain. It is common to hear individuals describe a new pain management technique as a ‘gamechanger,’ and hence, we have adopted the theme ‘painchanger’ to reflect this idea in a lighthearted manner for this year’s event.

For more information, visit Chronic Pain Australia.