Information

Take an active role

“Information can bring you choices and choices bring power – educate yourself about your options and choices. Never remain in the dark of ignorance.” – Joy Page 

Knowing as much as possible about your pain and your condition means that you can make informed decisions and play an active role in the management of your healthcare.

Access good quality, up-to-date information and stay informed. Quality information can be a powerful tool to help you take control of your pain. 

But there are so many places you can find information these days, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed. It can sometimes be difficult to work out what information is good and helpful, and what information is wrong, misleading and even dangerous.

As a general rule, libraries, your health professionals, peer support groups, reputable websites/social media sites and peak organisation such as Musculoskeletal Australia can give you great information to help you learn about, and understand, your condition. And the information they provide will help in different situations. 

A good practice to get into is to ask lots of questions and be sceptical. The information you get – from any source – could potentially affect your health, so be cautious.

Ask questions

• Who wrote/gave you the information? Do they have the proper qualifications?
• Where does the information come from? Does it have the scientific evidence to support it?
• Is the information balanced? Does it provide you with a variety of options, or provide only one?
• Does the information provide links to scientific evidence? Or does it only use personal anecdotes from satisfied customers or celebrity endorsements?
• Is the information up-to-date?
• Is the information regularly reviewed and updated?

If you get confused about any information you find or you’re given, talk with your doctor. You can also call our Help Line on 1800 263 265 and speak with our nurse weekdays. Or visit www.msk.org.au

Also check out the list of website and contacts at the end of this pain guide for more information.