pain management resources

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Pain in children with rheumatic disease is common. It is also frustrating, stressful, and worrisome for the child and the whole family. Pain can be tricky and stick around even after the inflammation caused by rheumatologic disease is felt to be well controlled.

In this recording (from our March 2022 Pain Webinar), you’ll hear from JIA patient, Devyn Nichols (age 14) and her mom, Jennifer Heeley, who share their experience with chronic pain since being diagnosed two years ago in March 2020. You’ll also hear from expert Dr. Tara McGrath, Pediatric Rheumatologist & Pain Medicine Physician, as she discusses strategies to help kids and families cope with day-to-day pain so they can get back to doing the things they love!

More specifically, you learn about:
• pediatric chronic pain in the context of childhood rheumatic diseases;
• the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain; and,
• evidence-based management strategies and tips & tricks for children with chronic pain.

video resources

Below you will find resources created by About Kids Health in Partnership with Cassie + Friends to help youth manage their pain. As a parent, we’ve created a resource for you to learn more about the Ways your child’s treatment plan might be affecting you and the support available to you.

Coping with Pain Tips from C+F Youth

Understanding pain in less than 5 minutes

Tame the Beast – It’s time to rethink chronic pain

Dealing with Flares

This video explains how to recognize what is and what is not in your control and how to accept what you cannot change when living with a chronic physical or mental illness.

Dilute the Yuck

This audio meditation helps you identify pleasant or neutral experiences in the middle of discomfort. Engaging in this practice can be helpful when feeling overwhelmed.

Visualize Your Pain

This audio meditation helps you visualize your discomfort. When you are struggling with pain, use this meditation to help discover a new way to experience and respond to it.

Ice Cube

This audio meditation helps you find a new way to experience discomfort. Use this meditation to explore the thoughts, feelings or sensations that come with being upset or feeling soreness.

Soften, Soothe, Allow

This audio meditation helps you soften towards discomfort instead of resisting uncomfortable experiences or distracting yourself when they arise. Try it and let us know if it works for you!

Comfort your Pain

This audio meditation helps you explore and bring comfort to an unwanted thought or an area of physical or emotional discomfort. Use this meditation when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Pain FAQ

My daughter is 6 years in and hasn’t achieved remission. She doesn’t remember a life before JIA and never actually had one before that as she was diagnosed before she was 2. It is very hard for her to be positive and she has developed anxiety and sometimes seems depressed (age 8.) Is there anything you could suggest to help her find a positive reframe when she doesn’t know anything else other than pain, sickness, missed birthdays and isolation because of the pandemic..?

We would suggest to speak with your rheumatology team or with your family doctor.
Rheumatology clinics often have access to psychologists or other resources that can help to
develop strategies to cope with disease and impact. Family doctors might know good
community resources that might be helpful for your daughter.

How do you suggest dealing with school teachers and specific subjects (my daughter is in grade 7), especially when missing so much school time due to pain?

We would suggest speaking with your pediatric rheumatology care team about your concerns
with your child’s participation at school. Rheumatology clinics generally have a letter to share
with the school for modifications that may be required by a child with arthritis. If this is not
sufficient, often the team’s social work, occupational or physiotherapy can liaise with the
school (on behalf of you child with consent) to bridge any knowledge gaps the school has about
modifications that a child with arthritis may require. Our goal is to have our child participate to
the best of their ability and there are several modifications that may be helpful, so please speak
with your care team.

Does pain tolerance change with age?

Pain is truly both a physical and an emotional experience perceived and processed by the brain,
and it is a real health problem. Each child has a different pain perception, and the meaning of
pain is also different from child to child. Age differences in pain perception are not consistent.
Acute and chronic pain is an area where there is a LOT of research going on in Canada and
worldwide. Researchers are studying the effects of early childhood pain on adolescents and
adults, how best to measure and treat pain in children of all ages.

additional resources

Books

Managing Your Child’s Chronic Pain by Emily F. Law and Tonya M. Palermo
When Your Child Hurts: Effective Strategies to Increase Comfort, Reduce Stress, and Break the Cycle of Chronic Pain by Rachael Coakley