Australia
On February 29, local members of the Australian Pain Society (APS) hosted the 5th Annual Global Pain Day: An Education Day Focusing on Pain in the Joints. Nurses, physiotherapists, and other allied health professionals were invited to attend the event, which was held at the Commercial Club in Albury, NSW. Speakers include Cheryl Bester, Annie Gould, Dr. Elie Khoury, Leisa Bridges, Frances Farrar, Pamela Goldspink, and Jenni Robertson.
In addition, the APS Annual Scientific Meeting, held on March 13-16 in Perth, hosted several sessions devoted to pain in the joints, including three plenary sessions and three concurrent sessions. In addition, a half-day preconference workshop was devoted to physiotherapy in pain management.
In May, a Public Forum launching the Global Year Against Pain in the Joints in Darwin, Australia included rheumatologists Dr. Richard Kwiatek with speakers Dr. Bethan Richards (center) and Dr. Pavla Walsh. (Not pictured is a third speaker, rheumatologist Dr. Sam Whittle.) The Public Forum was part of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Rheumatology Association. Dr. Kwiatek notes that the Arthritis Foundation of South Australia has posted videos of three presentations from the Public Forum -- Pain in Childhood Arthritis, Pain in Adult Inflammatory Arthritis, and Pain in Osteoarthritis.
Brazil
On June 18, the Brazilian Society for Pain Studies (Sociedade Brasileira para o Estudo da Dor - SBED) and the Institute of Scientific Chinese Medicine (Instituto de Medicina Chinesa Científica - IMECC) hosted the 1st Symposium on Joint Pain, which was held at the University of São Paulo.
The event included speakers from different medical backgrounds who hosted several sessions and discussed joint pain treatment focused on different specialties.
Croatia
In picture: Ante Barada, vice president; Ivan Rados, secretary; and Mira Fingler, president of the Croatian Pain Society, and invited lecturers Bart Morlion and Simeon Grazio
On January 31, the Croatian Pain Society organized a symposium at the Croatian Academy of Art and Science in Zagreb to mark the beginning of the Global Year Against Joint Pain.
Two guest speakers delivered presentations:
- Prof. Bart Morlion, President-elect of EFIC and director of the Leuven Center for Algology & Pain Management University Hospitals Leuven Belgium. His topic was "Joint pain: translating underlying mechanisms to the clinic."
- Prof. Simeon Grazio, a rheumatologist in the Department of Rheumatology, Physical Medicine, and Rehabilitation in the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, University Hospital Sisters of Mercy, Zagreb. His topic was "The guidelines and clinical practice in the treatment of muscular skeletal pain."
Denmark
On February 10, Global Year Co-chair Lars Arendt-Nielsen spoke at a briefing in Copenhagen for selected journalists to announce the launch of the Global Year Against Pain in the Joints. Danish national television and other media outlets participated in the event during which renowned scientists presented the latest knowledge about joint pain. Reporters received all 21 Global Year Fact Sheets. The briefing was held in collaboration with the Danish Rheumatism Association.
Dr. Arendt-Nielsen also participated in the following activities related to the Global Year:
- May 10, Denmark: Smerte Konference 2016
- June 2-4, Spain: XIII Congress of the Spanish Pain Society
- June 17-18, Denmark: Keynote lecture, “Chronic post-operative pain after joint surgery: Predictions and prevention,” at the European Society for Temporomandibular Joint Surgeons annual meeting
- June 18-19, Portugal: Fórum Futuro 2016
- September 9, Denmark: Danbio 2016, Dansk Reumatologisk Database
- September 1-3, Iceland: Scandinavian Congress of Rheumatology
- October 20-21, Sweden: Svenskt Smärtforum 2016
- October 20-22, Spain: 4th World Congress on Controversies, Debates & Consensus in Bone, Muscle & Joint Diseases
- October 25, November 1, and November 15, Denmark: Citizen Meetings in collaboration with Gigtforeningen (the Danish Rheumatism Association)
- November 21, Denmark: Department Meeting at Rheumatology Dept., Silkeborg Hospital
- November 23-24, Denmark: With Prof. Thomas Graven-Nielsen, a PhD course, “Translational Neurobiology of the Pain System XXI: Joint and Bone Pain,” at SMI Aalborg University.
EFIC
From September 21-23, in Dubrovnik, EFIC held the 1st Topical Symposium on Acute and Chronic Joint Pain. The symposium addressed such topics as animal models of joint pain, inflammatory hyperalgesia; epidemiology and assessment of joint pain; back pain and the new NICE guidelines; management of acute joint pain, including pre and postoperative pain treatment; and all aspects of treatment of chronic joint pain.
England
On June 8-11 in London, the annual European League Against Rheumatism included a Global Year workshop, “Different perspectives on pain in osteoarthritis.” It was chaired by van der Esch Martin (Netherlands) with Ferreira Ricardo (Portugal) as co-chair. The speakers were Japi P. Arokoski (Finland), George M. Peat (UK), Marike van der Leeden (Netherlands), and Lars Arendt-Nielsen (Denmark).
France
On April 8, the French Pain Society and the French Rheumatologist Society held "Journée Douleurs Articulaires," a day devoted to discussion and presentations on joint pain. The meeting was held at L'Hopital Européen Georges Pompidou in Paris. Speakers included Serge Perrot, Françoise Laroche, Pascale Vergne-Salle, Valéria Martinez, Etienne Dahan, Florian Bailly, Anne-Priscille Duc-Trouvin, and Dominique Perocheau.
Iran
The Iranian Pain Society created a poster in honor of the Global Year.
Ireland
On September 3 in Dublin, the Irish Pain Society’s 16th Annual Scientific Meeting (IPS16ASM) saluted the 2016 IASP Global Year Against Pain in the Joints and featured an array of renowned speakers. IPS President David Finn, in his welcoming address, briefly outlined the impact of joint pain and expressed gratitude to the Irish Society of Rheumatology for collaborating with the IPS on the meeting.
Marie Curie Investigator David Cabañero of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona alluded to the prevalence of chronic pain in some European countries, with osteoarthritis being the most prevalent condition. He described how research with animal models has shown that the endocannabinoid system may have potential for improving pain relief and suggested that CB2 receptor agonists have therapeutic potential without reinforcing properties.
From left, at a ceremony honoring the IPS Pain Research Medal Winners: Aoife Smith of Mundipharma; Conor Rothwell; Andy Cochrane, winner of the Clinical Research Prize; Louise Corcoran, winner of the Non-Clinical Research Prize; IPS President David Finn; and IPS President-elect Joanne O' Brien.
Florence Nightingale Foundation Professor Candy McCabe, chair in Clinical Nursing Practice Research, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UK), described how, in chronic pain associated with rheumatic diseases and chronic regional pain syndrome, neuroplasticity underpins information distortion. Rehabilitation aims to help the person regain access to their normal sensations by exploration of learning associations and helping to regain perception of all their sensation types, especially non-noxious.
Professor of Health Psychology Geert Crombez of Ghent University (Belgium) stated that adherence to the biomedical model alone can harm patients with pain. The biopsychosocial model is a recognized approach to quality patient care and is incorporated into the structure of the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.
Krysia Dziedzic, Arthritis Research Professor of Musculoskeletal Therapies at the University of Keele (UK), described how the MOSAICS study, which investigated the clinical and cost effectiveness of a model of osteoarthritis consultation, showed a large impact on knowledge levels of patients, GPs and practice nurses. Plans are underway to more widely implement the MOSAICS model across the UK.
Gerry Wilson, chairman of Arthritis Ireland and UCD Chair of Rheumatology, described how in rheumatoid arthritis, severity of joint damage is strongly correlated with cumulative joint inflammation. Treatment focus is to maintain functional capability and quality of life and aims to target and switch off inflammation in joints so that stiffness and progressive damage are greatly reduced, with possibility of repairing of joint damage.
Thomas Graven-Nielsen, professor and director of the Centre for Neuroplasticity and Pain at Aalborg University (Denmark), explained that it is necessary to look at individual mechanisms to understand and evaluate the manifestations of joint pain. He also urged attention to various assessment technologies and methods of measuring and detecting the extent of central sensitization, pain distribution, and referred pain in body locations.
The Symposium of the Irish Pain Research Network (IPRN) featured seven short oral “data blitz” posters of current Irish laboratory and multidisciplinary clinical research across the life span. A presenters’ panel answered delegates’ questions, followed by a grant writing workshop by Brian McGuire, chair of IPRN. A record number of abstracts were submitted for short oral and poster presentation, and the meeting concluded with presentation of IPS awards.
-- Shelagh Wright, PhD, is a retired lecturer in Psycho-oncology, a committee member of the Irish Pain Society and Irish Pain Research Network, and author of Pain Management in Nursing Practice, published by IASP Press and Sage Publishing.
Portugal
On June 18-19, pain clinicians and general practitioners were invited to participate in the Forum Futuro in Lisbon. The meeting had a special section dedicated to the Global Year. The session was headed by Dr. Beatriz Craveiro Lopesdirector of the pain clinic at the Hospital Garcia de Orta. Dr. Canas da Silva of the hospital's Department of Rheumatology talked about specific aspects of joint pain, and Lars Arendt-Nielsen addressed mechanistic understanding of joint pain and the translation into better management.
On November 26 the symposium "Osteoarthritis and Pain: Research, Exercise and Education, a Path to Empower and Relieve Suffering" was organized by the Faculty of Human Kinetics (FMH) in partnership with the Portuguese Association for the Study of Pain (Associação Portuguesa para o Estudo da Dor - APED), the Portuguese Institute of Rheumatology, and the Portuguese League Against Rheumatic Diseases. The symposium had the scientific sponsorship of the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology.
Different topics were addressed in five thematic sessions: (1) Epidemiology and socioeconomic impact of osteoarthritis; (2) from symptom to diagnosis--different approaches to pain in osteoarthritis; (3) from diagnosis to appropriate clinical treatment; (4) education and exercise as cornerstones of OA treatment; and (5) overcoming pain and relieve suffering. These multidisciplinary approaches involved speakers with different backgrounds: rheumatologists, pain clinicians, epidemiologists, public health specialists, nurses, physiotherapists, physical exercise and health professionals, and counselors. The symposium was open to health and exercise professionals, students, and the general public and was held at the Faculty of Human Kinetics.
Spain
On June 3-4, at the XIII Congreso de la Sociedad Española del Dolor (Spanish Pain Society) in Pamplona, two lectures were given by Oscar de León Casasola, Director of the Pain Unit, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, in Buffalo, New York, and Lars Arendt-Nielsen. The lectures focused on central sensitization versus neuropatic pain. The lectures were introduced by Jordi Pérez, Codirector Cancer Pain Program and Director of Cancer Pain Fellowship program, McGill University Health Centre. Montreal General Hospital, Canada.
Lars Arendt-Nielsen and David Walsh gave Global Year lectures focusing on the origin of pain in osteoarthritis at the 4th World Congress on Controversies, Debates & Consensus in Bone, Muscle & Joint Diseases. The meeting convened in Barcelona, Spain, October 20-22, 2016.
Sweden
On October 20-21, the Svenskt Smärtforum (Swedish Pain Forum) held its annual meeting in Jönköping, Sweden. Lars Arendt-Nielsen gave the opening lecture, followed by lectures by Inger Ahlstrand and Birgitta Johansson on the topic “Peripheral and Central Mechanisms in Chronic Joint Pain.”
Switzerland
The Swiss chapter of IASP launched the following activities for the global year against pain in the joints: They asked the National Ministry of Health and the Conference of the Health Service Directors of the Cantons to support the campaign. They informed the press and members about the campaign. They created links to the Global Year Fact Sheets in German and French on their website, and their annual congress on November 25 covered the Global Year with Lars Arendt-Nielson as keynote speaker.
