Building Your Team

What would you expect my friends/family to do then?

They wouldn’t necessarily have to do anything in particular, but be available to help you if needed. As we’ve said before, understanding the issue is a big step towards dealing with it. Most of our friends and family members are unlikely to understand pain like you do now, especially if you’ve read our previous pain information pages. However, it is really helpful if everyone can be on the same page and working together. Some people find asking their family and friends to read some of the pain materials you have read helps them understand why things might be sore, and why you might have to do things ‘differently’ to try and help the issue.

Why is it important to have help?

As we’ve outlined before, managing persistent pain isn’t easy and you will likely have times where the going gets a bit tough and you might need some support. Sharing an issue, talking through things or even just someone else’s perspective on things can make the world of difference sometimes.

Things don’t often change quickly with persistent pain and feeling like you’re on a long journey by yourself can feel a bit demoralising for some people. Having people alongside you (if you can) can make that journey less daunting and may make the outcome more successful.

Will physio be there to support me?

We most certainly will. Your physiotherapist will be one of your team members and will help guide, support and motivate you towards making the changes that you need to start feeling ‘better’. Your physio will always be willing to offer help if you need it and you can always talk through issues in your appointments. However, it is worth knowing that there are 10,080 minutes in a week, so if you’re only able to see your physio for 30 minutes once a fortnight, there might be some value in making sure you’ve got other ways of getting support i.e. friends/family.