Jan 30 • Sean Overin

Reimagining Pain Care in Canada: Insights from the Pacific Pain Forum

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I had the chance to attend the Pacific Pain Forum at UBC Robson—and left feeling energized. It was my first time attending, and what stood out most was how many passionate people are working together to reimagine pain care in Canada. 

Zooming out reminded me: this isn’t just about pain and discomfort. 

It was good to step outside my usual lens—one-to-one sessions, the clinic, private care—and look at the broader system that so many people are navigating.

It’s about millions of lives disrupted, billions in costs, and a system that still isn’t meeting people where they’re at...yet. 
  • 1 in 5 Canadians live with chronic pain — that’s 7.4 million people waking up every day with pain that doesn’t go away.
  • $40 billion per year — that’s how much pain is costing our economy. That’s $1,000 per Canadian—whether you're in pain or not.
  • Pain in Canada is behind 63% of working-age disability and linked to the opioid crisis—especially for people in their 30s. 


Let's go a bit deeper:
One of the most powerful papers, for me, presented at the Pacific Pain Forum came from the Canadian Medical Association Journal—and it left a mark. 

Here’s what stuck from Ledlie et al. 2024:

🧠 Opioid-related deaths in Canada more than doubled in just two years—from just over 3,000 deaths in 2019 to more than 6,200 in 2021. That’s nearly 17 people a day.

😲 In 2021, opioids were responsible for more than 1 in 4 deaths among younger adults.

👁️ Adults in their 30s lost over 87,000 years of life—that’s like wiping out the full lifespan of 2,500 people in their prime.

📊 In just one year, we lost more than a quarter-million years of life to opioids.

💸 And in 2019, pain-related issues cost the Canadian economy over $40 billion—roughly $1,000 for every Canadian.

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Pain is the thread running through it all. It’s the #1 reason people see their doctor, and it’s behind nearly 2 out of 3 disabilities in working-age adults. This isn’t a side issue—it’s the issue.

❤️ But what hit the hardest wasn’t a stat—it was something shared during the patient panel:

“I don’t have a voice in my care.”

This paper—and the conversations around it—were a stark reminder: Pain care isn’t just about protocols or prescriptions. It’s about people!

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📖 Picture this: a 34-year-old with persistent back pain, bouncing between ERs, not being understood, getting meds, getting one off injections, but never real help. Now picture the same person referred to a Rapid Access Back Pain Clinic, working with a team trained in pain science, getting mental health support, and slowly regaining control of their life.

That’s the shift we need—and it’s already starting.

🤖 Something Cool I’m Seeing…

Canada is building smarter systems for pain care. The shift isn’t loud or flashy, but it’s practical, evidence-informed, focused on the patient and is long overdue. 

Here are a few things already making a difference:

  • Rapid Access Back Pain Clinics – Designed to keep people out of the ER and into the right hands sooner. These programs fast-track patients with acute and persistent back pain into multidisciplinary teams that know what to do—and what not to do. This is being piloted in BC after a successful program was run in Ontario.
  • Digital navigation tools – Apps and platforms are emerging that help patients figure out where to go, who to see, and what’s covered. For people stuck in the system (or avoiding it entirely), this is a big step toward accessibility. For those on a waitlist, digital patient education and workshops are being rolled out. 
  • Integrated hospital and clinic networks – We’re seeing better referral systems and shared records across providers. That means fewer missed follow-ups, fewer people falling through the cracks, and a smoother experience for patients and clinicians alike. 

These aren’t theoretical models—they’re already happening in parts of the country. The momentum seems to be building.

What are your thoughts?

How do we make sure every healthcare provider—from new grads to seasoned specialists—has the core skills to support people in pain? 

The forum tackled this head-on, with a strong call for system-wide consistency and clarity around what great pain care actually looks like. 

Some of the key ideas included:
  • Entry-to-practice education that goes deeper than “pain is complex”—equipping grads with real-world strategies, not just theory
  • Shared care standards across professions, so patients get consistent, high-quality care no matter who they see
  • A focus not just on pain scores, but on how people function, cope, and feel over time

We talk a lot about evidence-based care—but this is what it means to build it into the bones of the system. 

🗣️ What do you think should be part of core pain competencies for healthcare providers?
Want a clear roadmap of where pain care is headed in Canada?

Check out the Canadian Pain Task Force Reports. They’re packed with insight—and they’re shaping policy. 

Key focus areas:
✅ Stepped care models
✅ Provider education
✅ Patient navigation
✅ Public awareness and stigma reduction 

👉 Read the reports here
The patient panel reminded me what great care actually feels like.

Each person shared one moment that shifted everything—usually something small. A provider who really listened. A program that didn’t give up on them. A space where they felt seen. That’s the kind of care we should all be working toward.

“The good physician treats the disease. The great physician treats the person who has the disease.” - Dr. William Osler

Stay nerdy, 

Sean Overin, PT