IT is the second most common cause of workplace absence in the UK after stress and costs the NHS £1billion each year in appointments and prescriptions.

Chronic back pain affects around 7.8 million people at some point in their lives, and the problem hurts not just individuals but the whole economy.

Now a pioneering new project called STOP! initially involving around 20 local volunteers who are in the early stages of back pain.

It is a joint venture based at the Dorset Pain Management Unit at Poole Hospital involving several local NHS Trusts and Bournemouth University’s School of Health and Social Care.

Poole Hospital received £75,000 from the Health Foundation’s Shine award, which supports projects that reduce the need for hospital treatment whilst saving money and improving quality of care.

Clinical psychologist Meherzin Das who is based at the Dorset Pain Management Unit and is also a visiting lecturer at the university says, living in pain day after day is one of the hardest things in the world.

“The whole idea for this project came about because patient after patient said to us that our help was being offered too late in their journey with pain and hence the concept of early intervention was born directly from the feedback we received from patients.”

The STOP programme involves support groups including a Pain Chain of long-term sufferers and brings together health specialists from across the county Alongside growing pain, fatigue, loss of sleep and decreasing fitness, people also start to lose their sense of purpose and self-confidence.

One sufferer Chris Phillips who is a member of the Pain Chain,says that without the right support it is easy to feel isolated and misunderstood.

“Having the knowledge and understanding of what has happened to us will help us to help others. We’re able to ask ‘Have you tried this’ or ‘Did you understand this’ talking through the programme with them.”

He added that it is important for partners or carers to be involved in the programme too.

“Our pain affects their daily lives as much as it does our own. If our partners or carers are here just for a few sessions there will be an opportunity for them to ask questions with us actually in the room and that’s so important.

“My pain affects my wife and if there is some level of understanding of what’s going on we can work together on it.”

Jayne McCubbin, who has experienced back pain virtually all of her life, hopes her experience will prove invaluable to others.

“At the end of the day, you can talk about back pain but unless you experience constant pain it’s something people cannot imagine.

“The tools they give us here I would never find myself – the pacing, the awareness that I needed to become more physically active and developing the mental attitude was all very helpful.”

If you have had back pain for less than a year but find it hard to live with and would like to attend the programme, please email <&bh"mailto:dorsetpainsociety@gmail.com">dorsetpainsociety@gmail. com<&eh> or call 01202 448670.

Back pain facts

• The cost to the economy as a result of lost productivity due to time off work is around £335million per year.

• 49 per cent of sufferers develop depression and suicide risk increases as people lose their jobs and homes.

• Department of Works and Pensions figures reveal that 80 per cent of patients on incapacity benefit at six months are likely to be on it for at least five years.

• People in the UK wait three years for a diagnosis and a further three years before their pain is adequately managed – twice as long as patients in Italy, Belgium and France according to The Pain Proposal European Consensus Report (September 2010).

• If you would like to attend the programme or to find out more, please write to the dorsetpainsociety@gmail.com or call the Dorset Pain Management Unit on 01202 448670.