Discover a novel systems-based perspective on chronic pain management

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A Three-Part Corporate Wellbeing Lecture Series

Chronic pain doesn’t stay at home when we go to work. It affects concentration, energy, motivation and productivity, contributing significantly to absenteeism and presenteeism.

What if understanding pain could help us create healthier, more resilient and productive workplaces?

In this engaging three-part lecture series, Anu Paavola, Functional Health Educator and Pain Specialist, introduces a science-informed and systems-based approach to chronic pain management, exploring how the nervous system, gut health, immune function and circadian rhythms interact to influence pain and overall wellbeing.

Through accessible insights and practical strategies, employees gain tools to better understand and manage persistent pain, while employers benefit from a more informed, resilient and supported workforce.

The aim is simple: to help people feel better, function better and thrive, both at work and beyond.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

DAY 1 – Understanding Pain: When Protection Becomes Persistent

Why does pain sometimes continue long after an injury has healed?

Discover how pain is produced by the nervous system, why it can become persistent and how the body’s protective mechanisms can contribute to ongoing discomfort.

Explore the difference between acute and chronic pain, the role of central sensitisation and why pain intensity does not always reflect the extent of tissue damage.

DAY 2 – The Gut–Pain Connection: What Does Digestion Have to Do with Pain?

Could the gut be influencing how we experience pain?

Explore the fascinating relationship between digestive health, the nervous system and chronic pain.

Discover how the enteric nervous system, gut microbiome and immune signalling interact with the brain, potentially influencing inflammation, pain sensitivity and emotional wellbeing.

Learn why circadian rhythms, digestive function and the timing of our meals may play an important role in supporting the body’s regulatory systems.

DAY 3 – Beyond Pain: Practical Strategies for Better Living

Learn how to work with your body’s natural regulatory systems to support recovery and improve quality of life.

Discover a practical, functional approach to chronic pain management that goes beyond symptom relief.

Explore how nervous system regulation, circadian alignment, digestive wellbeing, restorative sleep and appropriate movement can help create more favourable conditions for recovery.

This final lecture brings together the science explored throughout the series, offering accessible strategies that participants can incorporate into everyday life.

 

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

    • Understand how the brain and nervous system generate and regulate pain.
    • Explore central sensitisation and the mechanisms that can maintain persistent pain.
    • Recognise how stress, emotions, sleep and immune activity influence pain sensitivity.
    • Discover why effective chronic pain management requires a whole-person approach.
    • Understand the gut–brain axis and its potential influence on pain processing.
    • Explore the relationship between the gut microbiome, immune signalling and pain sensitivity.
    • Discover the role of the enteric and autonomic nervous systems in digestive and pain regulation.
    • Understand how circadian rhythms and meal timing influence digestive and metabolic health.
    • Practise simple nervous system regulation techniques to help manage stress and pain sensitivity.
    • Establish daily routines that support circadian alignment, digestion and restorative sleep.
    • Explore the role of meal timing and sustainable dietary habits in supporting metabolic and digestive health.
    • Understand how pacing, appropriate movement and conscious rest can support daily functioning.
    • Develop a personalised approach to managing persistent pain and improving quality of life.