How Do We Manage?

How Do We Manage Chronic Pain?


Published: 5 May 2026 at 00:00 Europe/London

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Episode notes

Pain is something we all experience in some shape or form. However, 19% of adults in Europe and the US live with chronic pain, and almost half say they don’t get proper relief - so what are we getting wrong? 

To understand the nuances of pain - whether chronic, acute or emotional - and its treatment, this week we speak to Dr Kirsty Bannister, Principal Investigator of the Central Modulation of Pain laboratory at Imperial University in London.

She tells Stephanie what is happening in the body and the brain when we feel pain, why our mental health and socio-economic status could affect the levels of pain we feel, and what we still need to understand to better treat people with chronic pain.


Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Dr Kirsty Bannister

Producer: Holly Fisher


Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at Pod Shop studios. 


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