Living with pain

This event will be chaired by Claire Rayner and will explore how science is helping those who suffer from all sorts of pain.

Sharp pain, the type you feel when you twist your ankle, is unpleasant but at the same time relatively brief. In contrast, chronic pain can sometimes be felt for months, if not years. From cancer patients, arthritis and MS sufferers to people afflicted with migraines, back pain and all sorts of injuries, the number of people living with chronic pain is staggering.

But what is pain and how is this information used by our body? Pain is felt when particular sensory receptors within the nervous system are stimulated by stimuli such as that caused by a tumour or by damage to the surrounding tissue. Impulses triggered by this stimulus travel through our complex nervous systems to the brain to alert us that something is wrong, and when that connection is made, we feel pain. The difficulty with chronic pain is that often it cannot be managed through existing pain control methods. As we gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that cause pain, how will this help researchers to develop new treatments and help people to enjoy a pain-free life?

Opening talks will be given by Prof Anthony Dickenson (Professor of Pharmacology, UCL) and Prof Henry McQuay (Professor of Pain Relief, University of Oxford). The discussion will be chaired by Claire Rayner (Patron, Pain Concern). The event will include an exhibition by patient groups.

This event is supported by Novartis, the Daily Telegraph and the Royal College of Physicians.

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