The Locomotor Pain Service

The Locomotor Pain Service is a specialist community based pain service located in Hackney, providing for adults living with persistent pain. Our team of professionals offer effective treatment and strategies to help you manage your pain and improve your quality of life.

Experiencing persistent pain can affect people’s lives in many ways. Watch this short video to understand a little more about persistent or chronic pain.

Please see below for alternative languages

TurkishFrenchSpanishArabicVietnamese

What we offer:

The Locomotor Pain Team can help you to:

  • understand why the pain persists and what it means
  • work towards being able to do more of the things in life that are important to you
  • try out different ways of responding to understandable feelings of sadness, anger, worry or fear about the pain, the future or what has been lost
  • look at life problems and stressors, which can further affect how you cope with your pain

We also offer support if you are diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

How can I be referred

You can talk to your GP about a referral, or speak to your treating clinician if you are already being seen by one of the Locomotor Physiotherapy team.
The service is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00.

Who we are:

Our specialist pain team consists of professionals who can help you live as effectively as possible with pain. Depending on your agreed treatment plan, you may see one, or a combination of the following; 

  • Pain Specialist Physiotherapists
  • Pain Specialist Psychologists
  • Pain Specialist Occupational Therapists
  • Clinical pharmacists
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pain
  • Pain Consultants
  • Extended Scope Physiotherapists

What will happen at my first appointment:

You will be invited to attend a two hour introductory group session to find out more information about what our service has to offer and to learn more about pain (click here for a video example).

You will have the opportunity to meet with the team, ask questions and discuss the ways in which our service could be of help to you.

If you would like to opt-in to the service, you will be invited for a multidisciplinary assessment to fully look at how the pain is impacting on your life and to decide together how we can support you best.  

Assessment
This is a one-to-one assessment with two to three members of the Pain Service team and can take up to two and a quarter hours. By the end of this assessment, a plan will be made based on the goals you would like to work towards. This may include further appointments within the Pain Service, referral to other services, or a discharge from the Pain Service.

Treatment
If a plan is made for you to attend further appointments in the Pain Service, these may be:

  • Individual sessions with any staff member
  • One of two types of group:
    • Pain Management Programme (PMP)
    • Understanding Pain & Possibilities Programme (UPP) 

 

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Pain Management Groups

Pain Management Programme (PMP)
The ten week programme brings together the experiences of patients with persistent pain and the expertise of specialist pain clinicians, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, clinical psychologists and nurses. The group will learn new ways to manage persistent pain to achieve a life of quality despite their pain. This type of programme is recommended by the British Pain Society.

 

Understanding Pain & Possibilities Programme (UPP)
This five session course looks at understanding the nature of ongoing pain and how this opens up possibilities to develop a different relationship with pain and learning ways to live well in the presence of pain. It is based on the model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and there is an emphasis on developing mindfulness skills. This is run with two specialist pain clinicians. Click here for a sample of the approaches used in this course.

 

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Patient feedback:

"Brilliant service giving us hope - just knowing you are not alone and that help is available"

"Pain is real - everyone has individual needs. Understanding and accepting pain and its effects - so that you can manage it to suit your needs - makes life better to live"

"Great information about the body and learning the steps I need to take to assist me with my pain"

"Very comforting to be in a group with others that feel like I do - you learn that pain doesn't mean damage and that there are ways to live a good life despite the pain".

 

Pain Introductory Session for Turkish Speakers

What to expect:

  • Mixed gender group of up to 20 people
  • A session lasting up to two hours
  • A Turkish speaking advocate to interpret
  • Information on the impact of pain on well-being
  • Pain science/ Biology information
  • Options and information about pain management
  • A chance to meet members of the Pain Service team and ask questions
  • The sessions are for referred patients only; unfortunately you cannot bring friends or family members
  • The sessions are not suitable for young children

Seans hakkında: 

  • Yaklaşık 20 kişilik bay bayan karışık grup   
  • Süreç 2 saat  
  • Türkçe tercüman mevcut
  • Ağrının sağlığımız üzerine olan etkileri 
  • Ağrı biolojisi, bilgileri 
  • Ağrıyla başa çıkma yolları ve seçenekleriniz
  • Ağrı bölümünde hizmet verenlerle tanışıp sorular sorabilme imkanı
  • Seans sadece sevk edilerek gelen hastalar içindir, aile fertleri veya arkadaşlar birlikte içeriye giremez
  • Seanslar küçük çocuklara göre değildir.

When does this session run?

  • Tuesday mornings once per month
  • 09:30-11:30

Ne zaman?

  • Ayda 1 kez Salı günü
  • 09:30-11:30 arası

What do I need to bring?

  • You are not required to bring anything in particular
  • This session is information only
  • There is no exercise or movement component to these sessions

Yanımda neler getirmeliyim?

  • Belirli birşey getirmek zorunda değilsiniz  
  • Seansımızda sadece bilgi verilecektir
  • Egzersiz ve spor yapılmayacaktır

Chronic fatigue service

The Locomotor ME/CFS Service is a specialist community based service located in Hackney, providing assessment and management for adults aged 18 and above living with ME/CFS or suspected ME/ CFS. City & Hackney GPs can refer into the service if suspecting a diagnosis and for confirmation of a diagnosis where symptoms meet the criteria threshold for confirmation.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a fluctuating condition affecting many body systems.

These are some of the common symptoms:

• fatigue that feels very different from ordinary tiredness
• aching muscles or joints
• sleep disturbance/un-refreshing sleep
• problems with concentration/memory (brain fog)
• digestive problems
• more sensitive to light, sounds and smells
• generally feeling unwell (flu like symptoms)
• post-exertional malaise (sometimes called payback)
• dizziness/headaches
• sore throats and tender lymph glands.

The Locomotor ME/CFS Team can help you to:

• gain an understanding of ME/CFS and the model of dysregulation which helps to explain what is happening inside your body and why you may be experiencing certain symptoms
• learn different strategies and skills to reduce the suffering caused by ME/CFS
• work towards being able to do more of the things in life that are important to you
• try out different ways of responding to understandable feelings of sadness, anger, worry or fear about ME/CFS
• look at life problems and stressors, which can further affect how people cope with your ME/CFS

In line with the national guidelines, our service offers an interdisciplinary approach. Our team consists of:

• ME/CFS Specialist Physiotherapists
• ME/CFS Specialist Psychologists
• ME/CFS Specialist Occupational Therapists

Your first assessment will be a one-to-one assessment with two members of the ME/CFS Service team which can take up to two hours. It will be a chance to discuss further what we offer and answer any questions you may have. An interpreter can be arranged if necessary.

By the end of this assessment, a plan will be made based on the goals you would like to work towards. This may include further appointments within the ME/CFS service, referral to other services, or a discharge from the ME/CFS Service. We will write to you and your GP and let them know the outcome of the assessment and any recommendations or plans that we make.

If a plan is made for you to attend further appointments in the Locomotor ME/CFS Service, these may be individual appointments with a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or a psychologist.

You will need to be registered with a Hackney GP. We require the GP to complete the ME/CFS referral form and have completed all the necessary blood tests and investigations.

Useful links for patients

Action for ME  - Action for ME’s website provides lots of information about ME/CFS including advice about benefits, welfare and employment rights, local resources, and information booklets you can download. We have worked closely with Action for ME to develop a self-management guide called Pacing for People with M.E. which can be downloaded free from this webpage: https://www.actionforme.org.uk/resources/our-publications/booklets/

The M.E. Association  - The M.E. Association is a medical charity providing information about ME/CFS and funding research. They offer a wide range of information leaflets.

The British Association for Clinicians in ME/CFS (BACME)  - BACME is a multidisciplinary organisation which promotes and support the delivery of evidenced based treatment for children, young people and adults with ME/CFS throughout the UK. BACME have written a Therapy Guide and a Symptom Management Guide, based on clinician expertise, patient experience and the best available evidence, and both are free to download from their website.

Access to Work  - An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support if you have a disability, health or mental health condition to help you:

  • start working
  • stay in work
  • move into self-employment or start a business

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guideline for ME/CFS - This guideline is about the care of people with ME/CFS in the NHS in England and Wales. The booklet explains guidance (advice) from NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). It is written for people with ME/CFS, and parents or carers of people with the condition. It may also be useful for other family members or for anyone with an interest in ME/CFS.

NHS Information

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guideline for ME/CFSThis guideline is about the care of people with ME/CFS in the NHS in England and Wales. The booklet explains guidance (advice) from NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). It is written for people with ME/CFS, and parents or carers of people with the condition. It may also be useful for other family members or for anyone with an interest in ME/CFS.

NHS Website - An overview of ME/CFS and its management.