Our Editorial Principles

The value of first-hand experience is globally recognised, and therefore a form of expertise, sitting alongside clinical, scientific and professional knowledge.

Doctors are experts in medicine. You, however, are the expert in how your body feels and the way it responds to daily life, acute flares, injuries and medications or procedures, and we respect that as a fundamental non-negotiable here.

Our editorial team, including our Founding Editor have chronic pain and health conditions that require lifelong pain management.

Reporting accurately is the non-negotiable foundation of excellent service journalism (and all journalism, actually).

We research thoroughly, write accurately and clearly, and speak with honest lived experience or subject matter experts to provide correct and useful articles.

There is a well-established connection between mental and physical health, and through lived experience, we have seen how stress, trauma, and nervous system deregulation can impact chronic pain and stretch its tendrils around multiple facets of your life.

We approach this remarkable biological dynamic with care, compassion and nuance.

We do not suggest that pain is imagined or ‘all in the mind’.

Nor do we suggest that emotions or nervous system activation are not an impactful part of our pain tolerance and coping mechanisms.

Instead, we explore the incredible communication pathways our bodies and minds form, and how we can leverage this for a better quality of life, using the latest data and research alongside lived experience pain experts.

Our content is created with a deep understanding that many people living with chronic pain have experienced medical trauma, dismissal or disbelief at the hands of medics, friends, loved ones or strangers.

We understand the devastating impact chronic pain can have on us, including an increased risk of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide/suicidal thoughts.

Our work starts with humanity and utility as the baseline, and shirks sensationalism.

Our experienced writers and editors avoid language or framing that places blame, pressure or responsibility on individuals to ‘fix’ themselves and instead provide resources that offer hope and inspiration.

This is also strictly moderated in our comments sections, and our Kindness-First Comments Policy is applicable not just on site, but across our socials.

We approach all topics with care and compassion. We do not publish content that shames, dismisses or minimises the lived experience of people in pain.

To that end, all are welcome. This is an inclusive, judgement-free zone.

The majority of us spoonies have encountered that person who thinks they know our challenges when they learn we have chronic pain because they broke their arm once, and love to give unsolicited, and more often than not, unhelpful advice.

To be clear, no, turmeric is not a magic fix, yoga is not a cure-all or, in fact, good for everyone, and you cannot simply ‘think’ your way out of a physical disease.

At Living In Pain, we focus on what is genuinely helpful, realistic and actionable. We do not promote cure culture, miracle solutions, or narratives that centre toxic positivity.

Instead, our experts bring their insightful knowledge to help our community without judgment or expectation.

Our work reflects the realities of living with chronic pain and illness in the UK, including dealing with long waits on the NHS, inadequate or non-existent care pathways, medical access challenges, social and employment realities, and daily life as it pertains to life on our little island.

However, the topics we tackle are relevant to people living in pain all over the world. Everyone is welcome and in time, we hope to expand to other regions with dedicated content for communities beyond our borders.

Our experts, however, are not restricted to the UK. We go where the top experts are because excellence and quality of research, and who we platform, matters. And let’s face it, the latest scientific research and development happens where the funding it, and that’s not always in the UK.

We are an independent platform, run by a disabled journalist who lives in chronic pain.

To enable this hub to operate, this site contains affiliate links, and from time to time, sponsorship and commercial partnerships.

These are always clearly disclosed.

All editorial decisions are made independently and are never influenced by commercial interests.

If we recommend a product in our articles, including in dedicated reviews, it’s because we have assessed it for its usefulness, quality and value.