As part of Pain Awareness Month this September, Help for Heroes is highlighting its ongoing campaign to remove unfair barriers to financial support for thousands of veterans in the UK who suffer from long-term pain.
Help for Heroes, the UK’s leading veterans’ charity, is marking this year’s Pain Awareness Month by shining a light on the devastating impact long-term, chronic pain has on more than 75% of the veterans it supports and the routes to recovery it offers.
Starting in May 2024, Help for Heroes began a 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. Almost 70,000 members of the British public have signed the charity’s petition, and it is nearing its 100,000 target.
Help for Heroes is also raising awareness of its free pain management courses, developed by the charity. These courses are designed to help veterans regain control of their lives as a crucial first step towards reducing the impact that ongoing pain can cause.
These comprehensive courses are run by professionals at the charity and help those who take part to better understand their pain and manage it in day-to-day life.
For full information on these courses please visit the website here
The World Health Organisation recognises chronic pain as pain that has persisted for over three months and is a life-changing condition affecting more than 34% (15.5 million) people in England.
On average, five military personnel are medically discharged from the UK Armed Forces every day, with the main reason being musculoskeletal injuries, which evidence shows increases the risk of chronic pain.
Army veteran David Hickman, 47, endures agonising pain after suffering a knee injury in service which affects every aspect of his life – to the extent that he has wanted to amputate his own leg.
“I can’t sleep, I can’t do anything. I’m on so much medication it affects my memory, my mood, everything,” said David, from Walsall in the West Midlands, who served with the Royal Engineers and completed a tour of Iraq.
“It’s like having red hot electricity pulsing from my knee, up into my lower back and down into my toes. It makes me feel physically sick. For a grown man who did 16 years’ military service to be curled up in a ball crying, that’s the sort of pain I feel daily.”
After spraining his knee badly in the Army, he was forced to go back out on exercises even though a doctor had told him to rest – the nerve damage this caused has affected him ever since.
He said: “It’s exhausting being in pain all the time. The nerves are smashed up and there’s nothing anyone can do. I’ve had injections up and down my leg, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy.
“I’ve tried everything. I can’t wear a brace anymore because the leg is too sensitive; so now I’m stuck in a wheelchair. I can’t function as a father, husband or friend. The pain drags me down that much, I want to take my own leg off.
“Through Help for Heroes, I have a nurse, an occupational therapist, and a counsellor. They’ve shown me a way forward. I’ve now got a voice and I’m not on my own. The support I’ve received from Help for Heroes has brought me closer to my wife, and I’ve got a stronger relationship with my girls. Without Help for Heroes stepping in and fighting my corner, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Janine Whitley, Clinical Governance Lead at Help for Heroes, is a former Royal Navy nurse who served four tours in Afghanistan during her 25-year military career.
“We see first-hand that chronic pain affects sleep, mental health, relationships and work. It can make leaving home seem impossible and it’s easy to become lonely and isolated. We can all retrain our brains to manage chronic pain better – the key is having a good understanding of pain, a healthy lifestyle, and finding the right balance between sensible activity and rest,” she explained.
Help for Heroes is the only UK military charity to have a dedicated clinical team providing physical healthcare support and last year the team supported almost 1,500 people. They are there for veterans, and their families, from any branch of the UK military, no matter when or where they served.
Janine said: “When we say ‘exercise’ to a veteran, they might think of a marathon or a yomp with a bergen on. But, for some this could be getting up and showered. A coffee morning is a good activity to start with as it gets you out and talking, which is good for you physically and mentally.
“It’s not just about medication or what the doctors can or can’t do. It’s about empowering yourself by increasing your knowledge and in some cases a reset from our military mindset of ‘pushing through’.”
For info about the new Pain Management course visit here
To sign the petition calling on the government to remove unfair barriers to financial support visit here