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Message from the Editors

Dr. Cathy Jeffery, Dr. Susan Tupper

Welcome to the final SaskPain newsletter for 2023! Newsletters are scheduled to be delivered in October, December, March and June and provide information and updates about SaskPain activities and resources for chronic pain management locally, provincially, and nationally.

Board Changes

Kelly Kizlyk, BSP has stepped down from the Board effective November 2023. Kelly joined the board three years ago. We are thankful for the time and expertise Kelly shared to support and further the work of board activities. We wish her the best in her continued work in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan in roles as a Drug Information Consultant with medSask and as a Program Specialist for Continuing Professional Development for Pharmacy Professionals.

We welcome two new members to the SaskPain Board effective November 2023

Siham Abdullah, BA is a fourth year medical student with the University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine. She is actively involved as a student representative to admissions committees and subcommittees at the College of Medicine. Prior to Medicine, Siham completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. She is interested in multidisciplinary approaches to addictions medicine and chronic pain management and is committed to furthering research in these fields.

Shahzaib Fida, BSP, BSc is a first year dental student with the University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry. He is actively involved as a student representative. Prior to Dentistry, Shahzaib completed his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 2020 and Bachelors of Science in Physiology and Pharmacology in 2022 at the University of Saskatchewan. He is passionate about harm reduction and co-founded the organization, Minimizing the Opioid Crisis (MOC) in 2019 which has supported the development and expansion of over twenty pharmacies province-wide to provide free fentanyl testing strips.

Welcome Siham and Shahzaib to the SaskPain Board. We are excited to work with you!

Interested in Joining our Board?
If you are interested in finding out more about being a SaskPain Board member and have experience and skills particularly in the areas of business development, fundraising, legal, or social media please email SaskPain or view the SaskPain Board Member application at this link SaskPain Board Member Application.

Updates from the SaskPain Board
  • SaskPain is partnering with provincial professional associations to explore opportunities for collaboration which will support the actions of the provincial pain strategy. SaskPain has provided representation to the SHA working group developing and implementing a primary care chronic pain management clinical pathway currently being piloted in the Regina area of the province.
  • The national Chronic Pain Network is one of five networks funded through a Knowledge Mobilization and Implementation Science Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient-oriented Research (SPOR). SaskPain is a partner on this project and is collaborating with other national stakeholders to mobilize knowledge to people living with pain and healthcare providers in order to remove barriers to pain management.
Also In this Newsletter
  • SaskPain Board Member named as co-chair to important Caucus
  • SaskPain is a collaborative partner with Pain Canada
  • Research updates and participation opportunities
  • Resources for pain management
  • Learning opportunities and conferences
SaskPain Board Member Co-Chairs the First-Ever Indigenous Chiropractic Caucus

In November 2023, the Canadian Chiropractic Association announced the establishment of the first-ever Indigenous Chiropractic Caucus, "a ground-breaking initiative with the aim to foster collaboration and advance healthcare access withing Indigenous communities across the nation."

Dr. David Peeace DC, a SaskPain Board member who provides chiropractic care in Estevan SK and area, has been named C-chair of the Indigenous Chiropractic Caucus (ICC). The official signing ceremony for the caucus was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on November 27, 2023. See the video for the ceremony here: ICC Announcement Ceremony

As the Canadian Chiropractic Association website explains, "The ICC will support the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action within the chiropractic profession. The formation of this caucus is the result of consultations with Indigenous chiropractors who share a common vision of enhancing the health outcomes of Indigenous communities. By facilitating an inclusive and respectful environment, the ICC aims to address health disparities and promote best practice that in harmony with Indigenous traditions and values."

To find out more about the work of the ICC and other important Canadian Chiropractic Associations initiative check out the website: Canadian Chiropractic Association
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Have you checked out the Pain Canada website?

Find out more about what is being done across Canada to meet the recommendations of the Action Plan for Pain in Canada by selecting the Action Plan button on the Pain Canada website Pain Canada.

The Resources tab includes lists of resources for people living with pain, resources for healthcare professionals, and awareness and advocacy campaigns across Canada.

Watch recorded webinars from the archive, such as "The Power of Peer Support in Managing Chronic Pain" by Delane Linkiewich, Jennifer Lorca, Dr. Susan Holtzman and Sage Wiebe offered on September 6, 2023.

If you missed the Putting the Pieces Together Conference in November of 2023 you can re-watch the sessions posted on the Pain Canada YouTube Channel.

Take part in the Gentle Yoga session led by Physical Therapist and Yoga Therapist Neil Pearson. The Pain Canada website has lots of excellent information to explore.

Research and Improvement Opportunities - How to Participate and Updates

Participants Needed for Nerve Pain Research
Researchers from the School of Rehabilitation Science at the University of Saskatchewan are recruiting participants to complete approximately 30 - 60 minute semi structured interviews for the Community-Directed Virtual Care Strategies for the Management of Neuropathic Pain in Remote Indigenous Communities: A Collaborative Approach to a Culturally Responsive Virtual Care Process Study. With participant consent, the semi-structured interviews will be recorded, transcribed and used for analysis.

Researchers are looking at the needs of Indigenous patients for the management of nerve pain associated with diabetes, spinal cord injury, amputation, HIV, post radiation syndromes, multiple sclerosis, or other nerve related issues. They are also interested in how virtual care can be used to join nerve pain experts from other locations with participant community members to help in their care. The research team is composed of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous community members, professors, physicians, physiotherapists, a pharmacist, and a nurse practitioner.

The information provided will help to better understand: 1) experiences of living with nerve pain; 2) what unique preferences might assist the use of virtual care to support nerve pain care; 3) what type of information would help to understand if using virtual care is helpful in the treatment of people with pain in your community.


Please contact Dr. Stacey Lovo or Dr. Hamza Dani for more information and see the study recruitment poster here: Nerve Pain Study Recruitment Poster
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The Improving Pain in Saskatchewan (IPSK) Research team is focusing on knowledge mobilization. Find study updates on our website at: SaskPain Research
Saskatoon area working group - Narrative (story-based) interviews were conducted with people living with pain and healthcare providers. Data analysis of these interviews was completed and story boards were developed depicting common elements from the interviews. Three educational, comic-style graphic medicine stories were designed and illustrated with Arcana Creative. Feedback on the stories was collected from people living with pain, healthcare providers, and healthcare educators. Final revisions of the stories will be made in the new year as we wrap up this research.
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Resources for Pain Management - Local and National

Regina area working group - continues knowledge mobilization activities related to their pediatric chronic pain work.
For further information about pediatric chronic pain please contact Dr. Karen Juckes at karen.juckes@usask.ca

Want to keep up to date on our research?
Email selene.daniel.whyte@usask.ca to join the newsletter mailing list or follow on:

Facebook: Improving Pain in SK
Instagram: @ImprovingPainSK
Find links to favorite websites at: linktr.ee/improvingpainsk

Improving Pain In SK Newsletter
Active Living With Pain - NEW Resource
Active Living for Pain is a new resource for people living with pain who are looking for information on how to become and stay physically active. Our research team led by Dr. Nancy Gyurcsik and Dr. Susan Tupper is working with people who live with pain and community-based exercise instructors to co-design a physical activity program for people who have moderate to high impact pain. Follow us on social media and visit our website to follow our progress and learn about Active Living for Pain.
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Partners in Pain - The Online Sessions

You can still access recordings of the sessions that featured guest speakers who presented on a variety of interesting topics related to pain management. Topics of sessions in the series relating to pain include massage therapy, sleep, managing stress, biomedical dry needling, how culture shapes the world of pain, caregiver well-being, and nutrition.

All of the session recordings can be found on SaskPain's website or at the YouTube link: Partners in Pain Recordings

If you would like more information please contact the Program Coordinator Selene Daniel-Whyte selene.daniel.whyte@usask.ca

This Phase of Partners in Pain was funded in part by a grant from the Community Initiatives Fund.
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Podcast & Audio Interviews

Although this series has wrapped up, you can still download the 30-minute audio interviews to a personal device for easy listening, or stream the episodes online."Your Partners In Pain” is a resource and initiative that seeks to raise awareness, spread knowledge, and give individuals a platform to share their personal stories about living with pain.

Topics covered during this series included CRPS, living with pain as a pediatric patient, self advocacy, pelvic pain and endometriosis, holistic pain care, the pain cycle, and the activities associated with the IPSK project.

All 20 episodes can be found on our SaskPain YouTube
Thanks to the generous support of the Community Initiatives Fund for making this series possible.

SaskPain is always interested in speaking to Saskatchewan-based individuals about their lived experience of pain, professionals who are involved in pain research, or clinicians focusing on pain management. Please contact SaskPain if you are interested in sharing your experience or have suggestions or feedback on this endeavor.

The SaskPain Website has Great Resources!
In addition to resources and information that you can find on the SaskPain Website
our provincial and national partners also have excellent offerings:

World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for non-surgical management of back pain
The purpose of the guideline is to provide evidence-based recommendations on nonsurgical interventions for Chronic Primary Low Back Pain (CPLBP) in adults, including older people, that can be delivered in primary and community care settings to improve CPLBP-related health and well-being outcomes. For this reason, the guideline does not consider interventions typically delivered in secondary or tertiary care settings (e.g. surgical or other invasive procedures) or workplace interventions.

The target audience is health workers of all disciplines working in the primary and community care settings. In this context, the guideline is intended to be discipline neutral. The guidelines will be of use to clinical staff including medical doctors, nurses, allied health workers including chiropractors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists and community health workers, as well as public health program and system managers.
WHO Guidelines Non-surgical Management Back Pain Primary Community Care Settings

Power Over Pain Portal
The Power Over Pain Portal is the result of a coast-to-coast Canadian collaboration of people living with pain, clinicians, researchers, and representatives of community organizations with the common goal of improving access to chronic pain care in Canada. Power Over Pain is a direct response to Health Canada's Action Plan for Pain in Canada. The goal is to provide access to free resources in a one-stop shop. Resources include articles, videos, podcasts, courses, workshops, and peer support. You can also access 24/7 one-on-one counselling, offered through Wellness Together Canada. Access the website here: Power Over Pain, and check out the Workshops being offered from January - March 2024: Power Over Pain Workshops 2024

Pain BC
Pain BC offers many resources for persons who have lived experience and health care providers. Check out their website for array of resources and information: Pain BC

Pain Society of Alberta
The Pain Society of Alberta (PSA) has recently updated their resources page.
Check it out here: PSA Resources

Canadian Pain Society
The Canadian Pain Society (CPS) provides many resources for people living with pain and for healthcare professionals. Check the website out: Canadian Pain Society

Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
The Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans is a research centre focusing on improving the well-being of Veterans with chronic pain.
Check the website out for information and resources: Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
Dr. Andrea Furlan YouTube Videos for People with Lived Pain Experience
Dr. Andrea Furlan MD PhD is a rehabilitation physician and pain specialist in Toronto, Ontario. She has developed YouTube videos that address chronic pain conditions, treatment, and prevention. Her videos provide practical information for people with lived pain experience and health care providers who practice in the area of pain management. In addition to English, most of her videos have closed captions in other languages including Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, French, Filipino, and Chinese.
Dr. Furlan continually adds new content to her YouTube channel and has recently added videos that present strategies to improve posture and discuss the causes of and treatment for shoulder pain: Dr Andrea Furlan YouTube Channel

People in Pain Network
People in Pain Network is a non-profit organization that promotes well-being for people living in persistent pain and those who care about them, by strengthening self-management programs, access to resources, and community support. Check out the Resources button on the website: People in Pain Network

Persistent pain: its role in work absence, health, and employment after a disabling work-related injury
A presentation November 2022 by Dr. Kathleen Dobson, Institute for Work & Health, Toronto ON.
Here's the link to the recording and slide presentation: Persistent pain: its role in work absence, health, and employment after a disabling work-related injury (iwh.on.ca)

Learning Opportunities and Conferences


Canadian Pain Society (CPS) Monthly National Pain Rounds
CPS National Pain Rounds are offered, free of charge, on the last Friday of each month (except December). Check this page on the CPS website to find out more about content and dates and to register: CPS Pain Rounds

Canadian Pain Society (CPS) Annual Scientific Meeting 2024 - Save the Date and Watch for Details
The CPS has announced the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) will be held in Ottawa from April 27 - 30 at the Westin Hotel. A special feature of the 2024 ASM is that it will be co-organized between CPS and Health Canada. Check out the CPS ASM page here for more details: Canadian Pain Society ASM

Pain Canada 2023 Annual Putting the Pieces Together Conference
Pain Canada hosted another national online conference, organized for and by people living with pain, in November 2023 for people who live with pain. The 2023 conference was attended by over 700 people from across Canada! Click on this link to watch recordings of the sessions that were offered: 2023 Putting the Pieces Together Sessions
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