Guided movement and relaxation videos for pain

People in pain need accessible and safe options to manage pain during this period of physical distancing. In response to this growing need, Pain BC is offering free Gentle Movement @ Home recordings that provide guided movement and relaxation for people living with pain from the comfort of their homes.

Gentle Movement @ Home is based on the principles using in Pain Canada’s Moving Through Pain program, a training course for providers that was developed with clinicians including physiotherapist Neil Pearson, one of Canada’s leading experts on movement and chronic pain. Sessions are led by physiotherapists and other therapeutic movement professionals and are designed to help people with persistent pain learn to feel safe to move again. Topics include breath awareness and regulation, body tension regulation, and movement and relaxation techniques in both seated and standing positions. Each video is approximately 50-65 minutes in duration.

Gentle Movement @ Home was initially delivered live through Zoom video conferencing system and an archive of 37 session recordings are now free to access on Pain BC's YouTube channel.

View session recordings

About the session leaders

Neil Pearson

Neil Pearson is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC, and a leader in the field of physiotherapy and yoga therapy pain management.  Neil is the Founding Chair of the Canadian Physiotherapy Pain Science Division, a 2011 recipient of the PABC's Excellence in Clinical Practice Contribution award, and the 2012 recipient of the Canadian Pain Society's Excellence in Interprofessional Pain Education Award. He offers his pain management, education and yoga therapy services throughout BC, Canada and internationally through workshops, continuing education, pain management training programs and retreats.

Will Bateman

William Bateman is the team lead, clinical educator and physiotherapist for the VCH Primary Care Chronic Pain Service, which offers non-pharmacological pain management strategies for people in pain who also experience marginalization, along with Pain BC’s Making Sense of Pain and Gentle Movement and Relaxation class series. Prior to joining VCH, Will ran a small clinic in Squamish focusing on chronic pain management and rock climbing injuries. He developed and managed the Ground Up Performance Team, bringing together health care providers and climbing coaches to provide sport-specific services. He has also presented on injury prevention and management for climbers throughout the US and Canada. Will mentors for the CPA Pain Science Division Mentorship Program and is a clinical educator for the UBC Department of Physical Therapy.

Rebecca McDonald

Rebecca McDonald is an occupational therapist who has worked in interdisciplinary chronic pain & Return to Work programs, community based rehabilitation, and the development and implementation of rehabilitation plans for clients with mental health conditions and concussion injuries. Rebecca's passion led to her appointment as the Practice Lead for her former employer's Pain Management Program, where she served as the clinical expert in pain rehabilitation. Rebecca has considerable experience facilitating Return to Work programs funded by WorkSafeBC and ICBC. She joined Community Therapists in 2014 and provides Home Health and Return to Work services for clients in Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, South Campbell River and surrounding areas. Rebecca also provides driver rehabilitation services in Nanaimo.

Susan Schellinck

Susan Reid Schellinck is an OT who works exclusively with people with chronic pain. She received her BSc from UVic, and OT degree from UBC. She is a local, provincial, national and international speaker on various aspects of chronic pain including pain science, self-management, central sensitization, and prehab for neuromodulation. She is clinical faculty for Pain BC and Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, and is guest facility at UBC for chronic pain to MScOT students.. She was a subject matter expert for Pain BC’s Pain Foundations online course, and is on the Pain BC Project ECHO team hub. Susan is a board member for Canadian Neuromodulation Society, and PacificSport Vancouver Island. She tours Canada teaching other OT’s about assessment and treatment of chronic pain. In addition to chronic pain rehab for individuals, her private work includes educating clinicians and people with pain about the role of the nervous system in pain, and ways to  decrease both pain and suffering, while increasing function.

Allison Ezzat

Throughout her 15-year career as a physiotherapist, Allison has treated the full spectrum of orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries. Her doctoral work focused on understanding the prevention of osteoarthritis after knee injury and thus she has a special interest in acute and chronic knee injuries, and the management of osteoarthritis. Allison also delivers the GLA:D Canada program, an individualized group-based education and exercise class for individuals with hip or knee osteoarthritis. She is passionate about providing patients with education and exercise to regain control of their recovery and build resiliency. She believes the best part of being a physiotherapist is being able to use her time, knowledge, and skills to enhance the quality of life of others.

Ceri Jakobsen

Ceri Jakobsen is a physical therapist and pilates instructor in Nanaimo, BC, where she owns and operates Fine Balance Pilates & Physiotherapy. Ceri graduated from UBC in 2005 with a BScPT, and completed her Pilates training in 2009. In her first few years practicing, she felt there needed to be more attention to, and treatment of the whole body – Pilates’ 7 principles of centering, control, concentration, precision, breathing, and flowing movement is an excellent tool to create mind body connection in those needing movement reeducation and mindfulness. In 2011, Ceri also joined the team at the Pain Clinic at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for five years, where she helped develop movement and education programs for people in pain. Finding ways to adapt and cue movement to facilitate mobility in people in pain became a real passion for Ceri and she believes that if we can allow movement to happen, our health will improve and we can return to activities we enjoy! Ceri has presented locally to Rehab professionals and MDs on treating people with chronic pain.

Colleen Jorgensen

Colleen Jorgensen is an osteopath with certifications in various yoga specialties and rehab pilates. She specializes in working with people living with chronic pain & illness and integrating movement back into their lives. Colleen owned an osteopathic clinic and pilates studio for  more than 16 years. She is well known for her multidisciplinary approach combining manual therapy with embodied movement, self-regulation practices and a distinctive, compassionate approach to pain care education. Her fist-hand experience living with chronic pain for more than a decade has given her an invaluable perspective into the daily challenges those with pain face. Her empathy and desire to empower people with awareness and practical tools drives her continued research and never-ending study of the human body. Colleen has developed many courses and workshops in embodied anatomy, somatic movement, and pain care management and facilitates lectures and courses throughout Canada.

Helen Turner

Helen Turner is an occupational therapist in North Vancouver. She provides community-based independent living and return to work activation programs. She collaborates on interdisciplinary teams for clients living with neurological, cognitive and orthopaedic conditions, and with anxiety and depression. Helen’s most recent pursuit is the study of resilience. Her passion is integrating evidence-based findings, the client’s experience and her expertise to offer compassionate, individualized and effective services. As a dancer and person living with pain, she experiences firsthand, and is happy to promote, the many benefits of movement.

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