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Best resources to learnChronic Pain

Study sheet

Chronic pain is pain that persists beyond normal tissue healing. You will learn how the nervous system produces and amplifies pain, what the evidence shows for exercise, psychological therapies and medication, and how to manage long-term pain.

8 resources · · How we curate

📹Videos(1)

video

Tame the Beast: It's Time to Rethink Persistent Pain

Five-minute animated explainer with full transcript showing why persistent pain reflects an overprotective nervous system rather than ongoing tissue damage, and how movement and graded exposure retrain it. Includes a vetted list of further reading.

beginner🇬🇧

📚Books(1)

bookPaid

Explain Pain (2nd Edition)

Illustrated 2013 book explaining how the brain constructs pain, how immune, autonomic and motor responses contribute, and why pain can outlast tissue healing. Written in plain language for people in pain, their families and clinicians. Recommended by Tame the Beast and pain physiotherapists as the entry text for both patients and clinicians.

beginner🇬🇧

🌐Websites(2)

website

Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain (NICE NG193)

The clearest authoritative statement of what works and what does not for chronic primary pain, with notable 'do not offer' recommendations on common drugs. Essential counterweight in a fad-prone field. UK national clinical guideline published April 2021 covering assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain: which treatments to offer (exercise, psychological therapy, acupuncture, some antidepressants) and which drugs not to start, including opioids and gabapentinoids.

intermediate🇬🇧
website

painHEALTH

Free self-management site for persistent musculoskeletal pain with written and video modules on neuroplasticity, pacing and goal setting, movement, sleep, mindfulness, medicines and procedures, plus condition pages, self-check questionnaires and patient stories. Moves the learner from understanding pain to managing it day to day, organised as structured modules that follow current evidence. Government and university backed.

beginner🇬🇧

📄Papers(4)

paper

CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain — United States, 2022

US federal guideline from November 2022 with 12 recommendations on whether to start opioids, choosing doses, prescription duration and follow-up, and assessing harms, set alongside the evidence for non-opioid and non-drug treatments for chronic pain. Covers the medication side of the topic note in more depth than NICE, especially long-term opioid use and tapering.

advanced🇬🇧
paper

The revised International Association for the Study of Pain definition of pain: concepts, challenges, and compromises

2020 IASP task force paper in Pain presenting the first revision of the definition of pain since 1979, with six notes separating pain from nociception, stressing biopsychosocial influences, and explaining the reasoning behind each wording choice.

advanced🇬🇧
paper

Psychological therapies for the management of chronic pain (excluding headache) in adults

2020 Cochrane systematic review of randomised trials comparing cognitive behavioural therapy, behavioural therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy with usual care or active controls for chronic pain, reporting effects on pain, disability and distress. Its measured conclusion (small but real CBT benefits, uncertain evidence for BT and ACT) is the calibrated view learners need when evaluating newer psychological pain programmes.

advanced🇬🇧
paper

Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews

2017 Cochrane overview synthesising 21 reviews across conditions including osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain and neck disorders, assessing whether exercise reduces pain severity and improves function, and whether it causes harm. Free full text.

advanced🇬🇧
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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best free resources to learn Chronic Pain?

Dantes has curated 8 resources for Chronic Pain, including 1 videos, 1 books, 2 websites, 4 papers. All resources are hand-picked for quality — no algorithmic filler. Browse the full list above to find the format that works best for you.

Is Chronic Pain hard to learn?

Chronic Pain is approachable at the beginner level — there are resources here specifically for those starting from scratch. As you progress, intermediate and advanced material is also available to take your skills further.

What types of Chronic Pain learning resources are available on Dantes?

For Chronic Pain, Dantes has curated 1 videos, 1 books, 2 websites, 4 papers. Each resource type serves a different learning style: videos and YouTube for visual learners, books for depth, courses for structured progression, and websites for quick reference.

How does Dantes select Chronic Pain resources?

Dantes is an algorithm-free learning directory. Resources are hand-curated based on quality, accuracy, and usefulness — not engagement metrics or paid placements. The goal is to surface the best learning material for Chronic Pain, whether it's a free YouTube series, a classic textbook, or an open courseware from a top university.

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