Free Pain Clinics in Australia

I am slowly adding information here about Pain Clinics around Australia that can help with Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions. 

As you probably know Fibro is a condition that we are often told requires a multidiscilinary approach and this is what these clinics offer.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Living Well with Persistent Pain program is offered to patients at no cost, and utilises local primary health care workforce to support patients in their pain management in the community. It provides a holistic self-management course, case coordination, group sessions and one-on-one allied health services.

Northern region — Living well and persistent pain program

Telephone: (08) 8354 9800
Email: painprogramnorth@adelaidephn.com.au

Central western region — Living well with persistent pain program

Telephone: 0450 539 733
Email: painprogramwest@adelaidephn.com.au

Services:

• Individual support services
• Group pain management programs.

Staff:

• GPs
• physiotherapists
• dieticians
• pharmacists
• pain educators
• psychologists.
• exercise physiologist.

Public hospital services

Central Adelaide Local Health Network Pain Management Unit

Address: Level 2B North-East Building, Queen Elizabeth Hospital 28 Woodville Road, Woodville South SA 5011
Telephone: (08) 8222 7826
Email: calhnpainunit@sa.gov.au

Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Pain Management Unit

Address: Flinders Drive, Bedford Park SA 5042
Telephone: (08) 8204 5499
Email: fmcpmu@sa.gov.au

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network Pain Rehabilitation Service

Address: C/- the Specialist Ambulatory Rehabilitation Centre, Cnr Smart Road and Hatheleigh Ave Modbury 5092
Telephone: (08) 7321 4133
Email: health.NorthernPainRehabService@sa.gov.au

Women’s and Children’s Hospital Paediatric Chronic Pain Service

Address: Level 1 General Outpatient Clinic, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street North Adelaide 5006
Telephone: 0481 900 577
Email: Health.PaediatricChronicPainService@sa.gov.au

ONLINE COURSES  AUSTRALIA WIDE

Chronic Conditions Course is a new free, 8 week, online and internet-delivered education program, run through eCentreClinic, Macquarie University. It is designed to provide good information and teach practical skills for managing the impact of chronic health conditions on day-to-day activities and emotional wellbeing. Register here 

The MindSpot Chronic Pain Course is five lessons over an eight-week period. It provides the information and practical skills you would normally receive from a mental health professional if you attended a specialist pain management clinic. You can choose to receive weekly therapist support during the course, or you can choose to contact us when you need to. Do the assessment to enrol here.

Men with fibromyalgia

Fibro EA

Here I am trying to shed some light on what it is like to be a man with fibromyalgia. I have used comments from guys with the condition and the few studies I could find. 

"Men [with fibromyalgia] often feel broken, even suicidal," says Gavin Levy, an Austin, Texas-based writer who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia four years ago, at age 33. "We've all been there. It feels like your masculinity has been taken away to a degree. You are a provider and protector, then suddenly that role is reversed." 

"As well as being physically difficult, it’s emotionally draining. It feels like you are grieving for a lost life. Over time it takes its toll." says Rob Bimbler a UK blogger diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

"As a man living with Fibromyalgia, it strips me of my masculinity. I want to be the strength, dare I say the hero. But, I’m neither and it hurts me to my core."

"This condition is in no way an attempt to avoid yard work or similar household chores." says Peter, a US blogger living with fibromyalgia. "C’mon, only girls get this, right? Not me, right?"

"People used to respect me, and now, how can anyone respect what I have become? Weak, frail, in pain night and day, tired all of the time, and not enough energy to do anything.  Who could respect anything like that?  Who could love anyone like that?" Male with fibro. 

"I could not believe it. Nice having an answer, but come on… a women’s disease! One with no cure, poor prognosis, multiple medication failures." said Bob about receiving a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. " I was sent into an emotional downward spiral. This was a disease that you did not want to tell others that you had, they would not believe it was a disease anyway. I Looked fine!"

For men, fibromyalgia has an impact on physical health, and also largely on mental well-being, as well as relationships, and careers. We can see from these comments that there is a stigma attached to fibromyalgia for men regarding their feelings of masculinity, their abilities to continue working and the fact that fibro is considered a female condition. Many men feel extra stress due to the stigma of fibromyalgia being perceived as a women’s disease. Nearly 400 men in a Finnish study said that social expectations for men led them to have a different experience than women. 

What does the research about men with fibromyalgia have to say?

Recent studies indicate that the prevalence of fibromyalgia is increasing worldwide even though a 2012 study suggested that fibromyalgia is underdiagnosed in general, and even more underdiagnosed in men. The results suggest that patients, particularly men, who meet the fibromyalgia research survey criteria are unlikely to have been given a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Anyone can develop fibromyalgia but it is most common in adults with the highest rate in women. Men do get fibromyalgia and the ratio is reported at 9:1 that is 9 women for every man. Researchers are not clear why women have higher rates of diagnosis but I believe that it could be that men are either not reporting their symptoms or not being diagnosed with fibromyalgia as many people, doctors included, still believe that fibro is universally a syndrome that women get.

Do men and women have the same fibromyalgia symptoms?
Men seem to have some different symptoms than women according to a 2012 study. 
Men with fibro demonstrate a lower pain severity than women but a longer duration of symptoms and disability. Men have a higher pressure pain threshold (PPT) over the 18 tender points and over the second metacarpal and tibialis anterior muscle than women. the metacarpal is in the hand (see diagram) and the tibialis anterior muscle is in the (see diagram)

Palmer view of the left hand (second metacarpal shown in yellow).

 

Tibialis anterior muscle is in red

In men, the intensity of ongoing pain was associated to a more intense painful response over the neck. This study proposes that there may be a different observable type of fibromyalgia in women and men and confirms that women exhibit lower PPT than men.

In a 2018 survey, with more than 800 male participants with fibromyalgia, the top symptom experienced by the men was depression. 

“I have dealt with depression, anger issues, continual pain, inability to walk, think clearly, and unable to do many activities I previously could do. Many people shy away from me, as they don’t understand the concept of nonstop pain.” (41-year-old male)

Some of the participants talked about fibromyalgia leading to the onset or aggravation of mental health issue including depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. 

What men with fibromyalgia should do

Some of the men, included in this article, also expressed that they felt a relief after talking to other guys with fibromyalgia. So besides following the treatment options presented by your medical professionals we strongly suggest finding a fibromyalgia group for men or one that has men included. 

"Contact with others, some of them men, helped me to understand what I was dealing with and that I was not alone in this." said Doc from FibroNews. 

If you have any more information about fibromyalgia in men or some links you would like to be included please comment below. We would love to hear from you as we found the information to be very scarce.



Voices of Fibromyalgia

POSTS BY MEN ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA:

• What Fibromyalgia is Like for Me? by Rob Bimbler
• Fibromyalgia In Men – Effects Beyond the Symptoms by Dan Neuffer
• Fibromyalgia - Peter's journey

OTHER RESOURCES FOR MEN: 

PINTEREST Board Men with Fibromyalgia

Men with Fibromyalgia has a forum
FibroNews by Doc @Fibromen (twitter)
Facebook groups:
Men with Fibromyalgia (over 1000 members)
Fibro For Men (over 5,000 members)
Fibro Support for Men ( over 1,500 members)

FIBRO CONNECT private facebook group has men and women members.

ARTICLES:
Men with Fibromyalgia at National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association. (NFMCPA)
How Fibromyalgia Affects Men: Men With Fibromyalgia Talk About Their Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Dealing With Other People's Reactions at WebMD

SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE:

Understanding the Impact of Fibromyalgia on Men: Findings From a Nationwide Survey.

Daenuka Muraleetharan, MS, Ana Fadich, MPH, CHES, Colin Stephenson, 

Whitney Garney, PhD, MPH

Fibromyalgia, diagnosis and prevalence. Are gender differences explainable? Bartels, E., Jacobsen, S., Jesperson, A., et al. (2009).

Prevalence of fibromyalgia: a population-based study in Olmsted County, Minnesota, utilizing the Rochester Epidemiology Project.Vincent A, Lahr BD, Wolfe F, Clauw DJ, Whipple MO, Oh TH, Barton DL, St Sauver J.

Gender differences in pain severity, disability, depression, and widespread pressure pain sensitivity in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome without comorbid conditions.

Castro-Sánchez AM, Matarán-Peñarrocha GA, López-Rodríguez MM, Lara-Palomo IC, Arendt-Nielsen L, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C

How Fibromyalgia Affects Men Article at WebMD

PubMed: Fibromyalgia in men and women: comparison of the main clinical symptoms

LINKED UP AT FIBRO FRIDAY

                                                                         

                                

DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS

Wellness isn’t a destination—it’s a dynamic process. And for those of us living with chronic illness, neurodivergence, or relational stress, it can feel like a moving target. But exploring the eight dimensions of wellness can offer a more compassionate, holistic way to check in with ourselves.

Have you heard of the eight dimensions of wellness? Here you can find a summary of what they are...

Wellness, or our sense of well - being, is all about how we feel about life and how we function.

It is not just about our health or lack of it.

Wellness involves many dimensions that make up the whole person. 

There are eight areas that influence our ability to function at a healthy level: 

1. Physical Wellness — a lack of illness and/or disability and the role you take in maintaining your body for strength, vitality and energy.

2. Emotional Wellness — an ability to cope and manage stress and being at peace with who you are.

3. Intellectual Wellness — the ability to think, reason and remember and staying open to new ideas.

4. Social Wellness — the ability to connect with a support system of family and friends or the wider community.

5. Occupational Wellness — the ability to contribute, use your own skills and abilities.

6. Spiritual Wellness — understanding of your place and purpose, having a sense of purpose and meaning beyond self. 

7. Environmental Wellness — feeling safe at home and around your area and the impact you have on the planet and the planet has on you.

8. Financial Wellness — having sufficient money to meet your basic needs. 


So I am off to think about each of these eight areas, to see if I have a balance in the aspects of wellness? To decide where are things going well and where they need improvement?
Besides physical wellness, which is a given area anyone with fibromyalgia would like to improve, where else would you like to see change?

As I reflect on these eight areas, I’m noticing not just what needs support—but also what’s already holding me up. What’s one dimension you feel proud of, about yourself, today?


The 8 petalled paris japonica

FURTHER READING: Why Do We Get Sick? Why Do We Get Better? A Wellness Detective Manual

This post is linked up at Fibro Friday week 9 where you can check out great fibro bloggers.

Laughter as Medicine: A 2025 Look at How Humor Therapy Affects Fibromyalgia Pain and Fatigue

Laughter may not cure chronic illness, but modern research confirms it’s one of the most accessible and effective tools we have for changing how we experience pain.

Originally Published: April 2013 | Last Updated: October 2025

For those of us with fibromyalgia, pain and fatigue often leave us feeling stressed and locked in a constant “fight-or-flight” mode. This is why a good, honest belly laugh is more than just a distraction—it’s a powerful, non-drug therapy that helps reset our over-sensitized nervous system.

Here’s a simplified, 2025 look at how humor therapy works its magic on fibromyalgia symptoms.

The Science of a Snicker: How Laughter Fights Fibro Symptoms

Laughter works on your body at the deepest level, directly counteracting the chronic stress and central nervous system hypersensitivity that define fibromyalgia.

1. Widespread Pain Relief

• Laughter's Action: A deep laugh acts as a natural painkiller, forcing your brain to release powerful chemicals that create a temporary shield against pain.

The Science: This is due to Endorphin Release. Genuine laughter triggers the release of endorphins and opioid peptides in the brain. These compounds bind to the same receptors targeted by prescription painkillers, helping to noticeably increase your pain tolerance.

2. Chronic Stress and Anxiety Reduction

• Laughter's Action: Laughter is a "reset button" for your nervous system, forcing your body to switch off the constant "fight-or-flight" panic mode and shift into rest-and-relax mode.

The Science: This is Vagus Nerve Activation. Laughter engages the Vagus Nerve (the communication highway between your brain, gut, and immune system). Stimulating this nerve calms the Parasympathetic Nervous System (the "rest and digest" side), which instantly reduces the levels of stress hormones like cortisol.

3. Muscle Stiffness and Tension

• Laughter's Action: A deep, hearty laugh is like a mini-massage. When you laugh, the muscles in your face and abdomen first contract, and then, immediately after the laugh is over, they experience deep, rapid relaxation.

The Science: This provides Physical Relaxation. The muscular contractions stimulate circulation, which aids in muscle relaxation, relieving the widespread tension that contributes to stiffness and physical discomfort.

4. Fibro Fog and Low Mood

• Laughter's Action: Laughter triggers the release of natural "happy chemicals," giving your mood and cognitive function an immediate, natural boost.

The Science: This is a Neurotransmitter Boost. Laughter stimulates the release of dopamine (pleasure/reward) and serotonin (mood regulation), which helps improve mental clarity, reduces the effects of "fibro fog," and combats the depression and loneliness often associated with chronic illness.

Practical Prescription: 3 Ways to Inject Humor into Your Day

You don't need a medical degree to prescribe yourself a daily dose of laughter. The key is to seek out genuine, spontaneous humor—not just fake smiles, which don't trigger the same chemical response.

1. The 10-Minute Comedy Break

Commit to watching or listening to something that makes you laugh out loud, for at least 10 minutes every day. The consistency is what matters for reducing chronic stress hormones.

• TV/Movies: Re-watch a favorite comedy show (like The Office, Parks and Rec, or a slapstick film). Nostalgia and predictability can be highly effective.

• Podcasts: Find a comedy podcast with hosts you genuinely enjoy. Listening while doing a gentle task, like washing dishes, is a great form of mindful distraction.

2. Social Laughter is Stronger Laughter

Research suggests that social laughter—laughing with others—is significantly more effective at releasing endorphins than laughing alone. This is because shared joy reinforces social bonds, which further lowers stress.

• Humor-Focused Groups: Join a private online support group that encourages meme-sharing or funny stories. 

• "Laughter Dates": Schedule a short phone or video call with a friend who makes you laugh the most.

3. Try Laughter Yoga (Hasya Yoga)

Laughter Yoga is an actual practice where participants start with voluntary, simulated laughter combined with deep breathing (like diaphragmatic exercises). The great thing is that simulated laughter often quickly turns into real, contagious laughter!

• Find a Class: Look for a local or virtual Laughter Yoga club.

• Practice Alone: Even 60 seconds of forced, hearty "Ho-ho-ha-ha-ha" breathing can help engage your diaphragm and trigger the positive cycle of nervous system regulation.

---

My Takeaway: Don't Dismiss the Power of Joy

As someone with Fibromyalgia or other chronic pain, it’s easy to dismiss humor as a frivolous distraction when you're battling serious pain. But the science is clear: laughter is a legitimate, non-pharmacological tool for managing the central nervous system component of fibromyalgia.

It validates the idea that taking a moment to choose joy is not weakness—it is an active, powerful coping strategy. 

Don't let a bad day stop you from seeking that daily dose of laughter. Your brain and your body will thank you for it.

You might also be interested in reading Laughter is Good Medicine which includes links to Funny Fibro Memes on Pinterest

You might prefer to listen to Laugh with an audio: NPR Laughter Therapy: A Comedy Collection for the Chronically Serious

If you are looking for some humorous shows to get you your 10 minutes of laughter, or more, here are some great suggestions from our members at FIBRO CONNECT our private fibromyalgia Facebook group:

• Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
• The Office. (TV Show)
• What About Bob?: A 1991 movie directed by Frank Oz. With Bill Murray, and Richard Dreyfuss
• Mash (TV Show)
• Tropic Thunder a 2008  movie directed by Ben Stiller
• Overboard a 2018 remake rom/com with Anna Faris. 
• Frasier (American TV series)
• Scary Movie a spoof on all scary movies.
• Eurovision Song contest with Will Ferrell
• Mr Right with Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell.
• Caddy Shack for that goofy humor with Chevy Chase
• As Yet Untitled a TV panel show with Alan Davies
• 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown for British humor in a game show hosted by Jimmy Carr
• Beverly Hills Cop a 1984 movie with Eddie Murphy.
• A Fish Called Wanda a 1988 movie written by John Cleese,
• Trading Places a 1983 movie with Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy.

Get real info on fibromyalgia and how it affects people's lives

Find interesting blogs where you can get first-hand information from many people with fibromyalgia.
Visit the blogs of real people with fibro describing their life and symptoms.
Visit Fibro Blogger's Directory.
If you have a fibro blog join us and help educate people about real life with fibromyalgia.

Fibro Blogger Directory

If you have a fibro blog yourself or if you are looking for real stories about fibromyalgia from the people who have fibromyalgia visit the Fibro Blogger Directory.

For Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

This is my contribution to FAD Fibro Awareness Day -

Let's show the world how many we are and what fibro is about. Let's not be invisible anymore.

Do you have a blog or website about Fibromyalgia? Would you like to network with other fibro bloggers? Would you like to add your blog to the ever expanding list of Fibro voices out there? I think it's a really great way to support each other, get more visitors to our sites and stand as a united group of fibro sufferers. Maybe we can even do some good.
If you are interested go to the Fibro Blogger Directory
National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day aims to increase awareness of FM and provide support to those coping with the illness.

You need support from others when living with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia, like many other conditions, can lead to isolation and loneliness. Social isolation is a problem for many people and especially for those with chronic illness and chronic pain.  

A huge part of Fibromyalgia is the pain, which in itself is isolating, as we feel that others do not understand or want to know what we are going through. This can make us withdraw.

Sufferers need to make an effort to get support and I feel getting support really makes a difference on so many levels. It is a great way to find out what treatments may work for others and may be worthwhile to try. It is wonderful to just be with others who understand what you are going through. Connecting with others can provide much comfort.

One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider our problems, can change our whole outlook... Dr Elton Mayo

 

Luckily there are a few options for finding support - we can attend a pain clinic (try your local hospital), find a local support group that has get-togethers or find some online support if getting out is not possible due to mobility issues or the closeness of meetings. 

Below I have started a list of different Fibromyalgia support groups available and I would love to hear from you if you have some to add.

SUPPORT MEETINGS

Fibromyalgia Meetups - worldwide

National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association (NFCPA) List of American Support Meetings

Canadian Support Groups

ONLINE SUPPORT:

FIBRO FORUMS 
Daily Strength Forum Fibromyalgia Support Group

Fibromyalgia Forum founded in 2008 and run by volunteers who have Fibromyalgia.

Patients like me Fibromyalgia Forum with over 112,000 members.

MyFibroTeam

Patient

FACEBOOK GROUPS: There are hundreds of these groups. I have listed the one I am in.
FIBRO CONNECT  To join this group please 'Friend' me on Facebook then request an invite.

You may also be interested in the following:
Fibro Blogger Directory with over 5,000 in the group
Fibro Files with over 2,500 people in the group


FIBRO SUPPORT in Australia will be a coming blog post - watch this space.

The emotional support derived from support group participation can help reduce stress, which can have a positive impact on health. ~ Winchester Hospital.