New online portal helping people deal with chronic pain
Chronic pain is considered one of the leading causes of disability in this country.
Pair that with long waitlists for specialized pain care and you have millions of people eager for help.
Now a new online portal, which includes a Manitoba-made course proven to help get people engaged in pain management right away, is available.
According to Health Canada, one in five Canadians live with chronic pain, which is pain lasting longer than three months. On top of that, people are waiting up to three years to see a pain specialist says clinical psychologist Dr. Renée El-Gabalawy.
"Not only are people suffering but access to care is quite limited," she said.
It's why the Winnipeg-based clinical psychologist and her colleague Dr. Brigitte Sabourin developed an online self-directed program called 'IMPACT.' The course teaches people about a newer, evidence-based approach called acceptance and commitment therapy or ACT for short.
"When they learn these new ways of relating to these experiences they become, in a way, freer so that they can really focus their energy on living a life that matters to them and doing those things that really make life worth living, " said Sabourin, who is an assistant professor in the department of clinical health psychology at the University of Manitoba and a clinical health psychologist.
El-Gabalawy told CTV News early research found people liked the online format and the content enhanced pain functioning and quality of life. She added the more you put in, the more you get out.
"People are waiting to see specialists and that is a piece of the puzzle. But in order to enhance your quality of life and reduce that impact of pain you really need to be engaging in these self-management strategies that really optimize your health."
The two say the IMPACT course isn't meant to replace specialized care, but to get people started on self-management while they wait.
It is also a part of the new national Power Over Pain Portal, a pain-management tool Canadians living with pain don't have to wait for or pay for.
"It's a new initiative that hopefully will help, potentially help millions of Canadians throughout all of Canada to really engage in those kinds of behaviours that are helpful," said Sabourin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.