Three out of four veterans supported by Help for Heroes living with chronic pain

Former armed forces personnel across the West Midlands area are being urged to come forward for support, if they are living with chronic pain. A free to access course developed by Help for Heroes in conjunction with veterans, is available to help people to take back control of their lives, as a crucial first step towards reducing the devastating impact of chronic pain.

The West Midlands region has a population of 167,597 veterans and the charity believes more people living with chronic pain could be helped. Chronic pain is defined by the World Health Organisation as pain that has persisted for over three months and is a life-changing condition affecting more than 34 per cent (15.5 million) people in England*

David Hickman, a 47-year-old army veteran from Walsall, has first-hand experience of chronic pain. He suffered nerve damage to his knee whilst in service, which has led to him experiencing severe pain and he also lives with PTSD. As part of the support from the charity, he attended the pain management course. David credits Help for Heroes with helping him to get ‘a large portion of his life back’.

David said: “The pain management course has given me the tools not only on how to live with my pain but how to function as a man, husband and dad”.

Janine Whitley, is a Veterans Clinical Advisor at Help for Heroes and is herself a former Royal Navy nurse who served four tours in Afghanistan during her 25-year military career. “Since the course launched the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. However, we think we can help more people, especially in the West Midlands region which has a large veteran population.”

“Through the course, we educate people to manage chronic pain better. It’s about empowering yourself by increasing your knowledge and in some cases a reset from the military mindset of just ‘pushing through’.”

Chronic pain is a life-changing condition; described as a hidden disability, it derails careers, wrecks relationships and destroys mental health. On average, four military personnel are medically discharged from the UK Armed Forces every day, mainly as a result of musculoskeletal injuries, which evidence shows an increase in the risk of chronic pain. Help for Heroes describes chronic pain as a “hidden enemy,” affecting three out of four veterans that they support**.

“Veterans are eligible for the chronic pain course, no matter when or where they served and irrespective of whether their illness or injury was caused in service,” said Janine. “There’s information on our website about how to apply for the course, along with some free-to-use self-help guides.

“We know that veterans can sometimes feel they don’t deserve help – but at Help for Heroes we’re here to ensure that everyone who has served their country receives the support they need.”

For more information about the course, go to visit here

In May Help for Heroes launched their campaign calling on the government to remove unfair financial barriers, to ensure thousands of UK veterans receive vital compensation and support for long term pain. As of August over 32,000 members of the British public have signed the petition.