Episode 3: Chapter 4 - Trevor Barker - Recovery from chronic/persistent back pain (Chronic pain) - Life now and looking forward.

In this third episode we meet Trevor Barker, a former electrician and now support coordinator from north eastern Victoria who following a minor workplace injury, developed and lived with debilitating chronic lower back pain for over 20 years. His eventual recovery came swiftly through education and he now works with some of the world's leading pain scientists and educators to share his story and encourage others to learn more and make meaningful change in their own lives. Trevor has appeared on SBS’s Insight program, as well as contributing to various podcasts, radio and print media and continues to share and champion recovery from persistent pain.

In this chapter Trevor describes his quality of life now, how he challenges himself to further improve and how he deals with flare ups if they occur.

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^00:31 - Trevor has a growing confidence that he can do things himself that will make a difference in his life. He's made simple changes such as walking to the post office to pick up the mail rather than driving there and thus is getting more movement, more physical activity and more social interaction, all things which positively manage his pain,
• ^02:11 - Trevor talks about how he manages pain flare-ups if they occur,
• 05:10 - Trevor discusses his quality of life now...a world away from where he was before,
• ^08:52 - Trevor reiterates his msg to those listening to avoid treatments focussed only on a 'Biomedical' approach, and to seek out those providing a 'Biopsychosocial' approach to chronic and persistent pain,
• ^11:45 - Trevor's msg to those still living with chronic and persistent pain.

^Trevor's main tips