A UK-first public health drive is coming to Grantham next month to help the two in five locals living with chronic pain

Flippin' Pain™ campaign will engage, empower and inspire residents and healthcare professionals, through public seminars, an interactive Brain Bus and cycle ride

The initiative will be touring Lincolnshire from Sunday September 12 for six days. It promises to bring knowledge about pain to the people who need it the most, through a series of public engagement and educational events, spanning 10 regional locations.

Already attracting healthcare professionals and those with chronic pain, the tour will feature an interactive pop-up experience village, the 'Brain Bus', and will be spearheaded by a peloton of bike riders – including nationally renowned pain experts and those who live with pain.

The stop-off locations on the tour, which includes a mix of venues such as schools, marketplaces, tennis clubs, town halls and medical centres, are:

12 September - Stamford

13 September - Spalding and Sleaford

14 September - Boston and Skegness

15 September - Mablethorpe and Market Rasen

16 September - Gainsborough, Horncastle and Lincoln

17 September - Grantham

Attempting to 'flip' public understanding of chronic pain, Flippin' Pain™ is championed by community healthcare services provider Connect Health and is supported by NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Richard Pell, the campaign director, is part of the 20-strong team of riders and a Lincolnshire native, he explained: "The county has some of the highest rates of high-dose opioid (strong pain killers) prescribing in the UK.

"Like the rest of the country, Lincolnshire also has its fair share of challenges with physical inactivity, obesity, and an ageing population – all of which are well-established risk factors for chronic pain."

He continued: "To help address this burning issue we began engaging with the local community through a series of public events in 2019, challenging widespread misunderstanding of pain and empowering people to make informed choices about managing their pain and the healthcare support they receive.

"The pandemic derailed our initial outreach tour plans for Summer 2020, but now we're excited to launch September's event which features a jam-packed itinerary of workshops, seminars and other public engagement events."

The 20 peloton cyclists expect to clock up over 250 miles during the six days, while helping to raise essential funds for UK-wide charity, Pain Concern.

One rider, currently in training, is Lincoln-local, Fen Kipley – who has experienced her own considerable problems with persistent pain following a car accident in 2004.

Fellow riders joining Fen include pain academics, GPs, physiotherapists, pharmacists and others affected by chronic pain.

Richard concluded: "Understanding pain is important. How people think about their pain can change the way it feels and how they respond to it. Many long-held beliefs about pain are hugely out of step with modern scientific understanding. People deserve better. Many are suffering more than they should, losing control of their lives and their quality of life.

"I would urge people living with pain, their friends and family too, to engage with the campaign and do so with an open mind. Flipping your understanding of pain won't take it all away overnight - but it can be transformative and has been the first step on the road to recovery for many."

Flippin' Pain™ follows the learnings of Australia's 'Pain Revolution' movement led by internationally-acclaimed pain scientist, Professor Lorimer Moseley.

Keep up to date with the full tour information by clicking the link here.