Online resources
Pain Relief, Sedation and Anaesthesia
These downloadable brochures were created by the staff at AboutKidsHealth and Toronto's SickKids Hospital.
Pediatric Pain
This site is run by the Pediatric Pain Research Lab, located at the IWK Health Centre and the Psychology Department at Dalhousie University. It is intended for both parents and health care professionals and has links to protocols, pamphlets, and booklets.
The personal site of a teenage girl and former SickKids patient with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RDS), this site offers a first-person perspective on dealing with chronic pain.
Canadian Pain Coalition
A partnership of patient pain groups, health professionals who care for people in pain, and scientists studying better ways of treating pain, the CPC website has information about support groups and other resources about pain.
Books
Imagine a Rainbow: A Child’s Guide for Soothing Pain
by Brenda S. Miles, PhD
Illustrated by Nicole Wong
Hardback: 32 pages. Also available in soft cover
Publisher: Magination Press 2006
ISBN: 1-59147-384-5
When a child is in pain, imagining scenes that are soothing or uplifting may help reduce the discomfort. Imagine a Rainbow is a beautiful tool for introducing children to the idea of using their imaginations to cope with pain, whether by itself or as part of a more comprehensive pain management plan.
The book also includes an extensive Note to Parents that explains the techniques of imagery and deep breathing, and how to help children use them.
A Child in Pain: How to Help, What to Do
by Leora Kuttner
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Hartley & Marks Publishers (1996 reprinted 2006)
ISBN: 0881791288
This book is widely available and can be ordered through the Children's Hospital Bookstore in Vancouver British Columbia:
http://edreg.cw.bc.ca/BookStore/public/bookstore/default.aspx
“Having a child in pain is one of the most distressing experiences of parenthood.” This book will enable you and your child to cope with both minor and more serious pain from injuries or childhood and teenage diseases. You will learn to teach your child not to fear pain but to regard it as useful something to be alert; to help your child in pain; to help your child use a range of coping strategies; to learn other techniques that provide pain relief to children; to learn about pain medication, its uses benefits and risks. This book is intended to help you talk with health professionals and develop a cooperative relationship.
Conquering Your Child's Chronic Pain: A Pediatrician's Guide for Reclaiming a Normal Childhood
by Lonnie K. Zeltzer and Christina Blackett Schlank
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperResource (2005)
ISBN: 0060570172
A nationally recognized leader in the field of paediatric pain management, Dr. Lonnie K. Zeltzer offers an invaluable guide to control the pain that plagues your child, from headaches to arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and more.
Drawing on more than 30 years of study and combining modern medicine with complementary methods such as hypnotherapy, yoga, acupuncture, and biofeedback, Dr. Zeltzer explains how to soothe the nervous system ,reactivate the body’s natural pain control mechanisms, determine which medications are most effective, and implement relaxation techniques.
Soothing Your Child's Pain: From Teething and Tummy Aches to Acute Illnesses and Injuries — How to Understand the Causes and Ease the Hurt
by Kenneth Gorfinkle
Hardcover: 257 pages
Publisher: Contemporary Books (1997)
ISBN: 0809232553
This book offer suggestions and techniques to help assess and treat children's pain, including ailments such as headaches, abdominal pain, and teething, as well as ways to prepare children for procedures such as immunizations and to help them develop coping skills. Conventional medications and alternative therapies are both discussed, as is the importance of parental attitudes toward pain.
Relieve Your Child's Chronic Pain: A Doctor's Program for Easing Headaches, Abdominal Pain, Fibromyalgia, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and More
by Elliot J. Krane and Deborah Mitchell
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Fireside (2005)
ISBN: 0743262034
Chronic and Recurrent Pain in Children and Adolescents (Progress in Pain Research and Management, V. 13)
by Patrick J. McGrath and G. Allen Finley
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: IASP Press (1999)
ISBN: 0931092272
Pain in Infants, Children, and Adolescents
by Neil Schechter, Charles Berde, and Myron Yaster
Hardcover: 892 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2nd edition (2002)
ISBN: 0781726441
New edition of a volume that provides the latest information on developments in pain management for infants, children, and adolescents. Forty-five contributions discuss the theoretical underpinnings of pain treatment--transmission and interpretation of pain, cultural and psychological factors, the manifestations of pain and how they can be used for assessment, and ethical decision-making; and pharmacologic, physical, and psychological treatment strategies. They also cover specific pain problems due to disease and cancer; musculoskeletal, neuropathic, abdominal, chest, and facial pain; and others. Edited by Schecter (Connecticut Children's Medical Center), Charles B. Berde (The Children's Hospital in Boston) and Myron Yaster (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine). (Review copyright 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.)
The Pain Relief Breakthrough
by Julian Whitaker, MD and Brenda Adderly, MHA
Hardcover: 188 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Canada Limited (1998)
ISBN: 0316601934
This book describes the use of magnets and magnetic therapy as a technique to assist patients in managing their pain. It provides a history of magnets and how they work.
Movies
No Tears, No Fears: Children with Cancer Coping with Pain
by Leora Kuttner
Children with Cancer Coping with Pain is an award-winning video documentary. While it is aimed at parents of children with cancer, the pain-relieving techniques demonstrated in the video can be adapted for any child with chronic pain.
No Tears, No Fears: 13 years later
by Leora Kuttner
This video documentary revisits the same families 13 years later.