Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise

A new partnership between the Health Innovation Network (HIN) and Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) has secured the future of the award-winning ESCAPE-pain programme that helps people with knee, hip and back pain. 

Read more on our news page.

​ESCAPE-pain is a group rehabilitation programme for people with chronic joint pain that integrates educational self-management and coping strategies with an exercise regimen individualised for each participant. It helps people understand their condition, teaches them simple things they can help themselves with, and takes them through a progressive exercise programme so they learn how to cope with pain better. 

ESCAPE-pain offers two programmes: 

• ESCAPE-pain for knees and hips: designed to benefit people with chronic knee or hip pain
• ESCAPE-pain for backs: designed to benefit people with chronic low back pain. 

ESCAPE-pain clinics for trained facilitators: 

We are hosting monthly support sessions for trained facilitators from new and existing ESCAPE-pain sites who would like implementation support. The 1-hour sessions will be focused on answering questions from facilitators on various topics related to implementation of the ESCAPE-pain programme(s). The sessions are open to facilitators trained to deliver either ESCAPE-pain for knees/hips or ESCAPE-pain for backs.

We will continue to add new monthly dates to the schedule, please register via the links below.

Tips for supporting ESCAPE-pain participants during COVID-19

We'd like to remind you of the availability of the ESCAPE-pain digital support tools which replicate the face-to-face programme and are free to use.

• ESCAPE-pain Online is the web-based version of the ESCAPE-pain app and is accessed via our website. ESCAPE-pain Online was designed to be viewed on a computer or a variety of mobile devices, but you don't need to have a smart phone.

• ESCAPE-pain app is available on Android smartphones and tablets by searching 'escape pain app' on Google Play

Both tools take users through a six-week programme, with two sessions per week, each containing:

• Exercise videos with simple, easy to follow exercises with clear instructions that were developed so people could do the exercises safely in their homes;
• Educational videos with engaging animations giving simple advice and information to help people understand how to better manage their condition;
• Individual progress chart to track their improvement over time.​

We recommend you read through our ESCAPE-pain support tools guidance which contains our top tips for getting the best out of the ESCAPE-pain support tools before deciding which one you'd prefer to use. 

Supporting people with limited or no access to technology

We recognise many of the tools that are being recommended to support people to keep active in their homes during COVID-19 require access to smart devices, laptops, the Internet etc. In order to support people who do not have access to the Internet or digital devices we have pulled together a list of resources that can be printed out and sent to people, and also some radio and television resources. See our updated information.

ESCAPE-pain e-Learning resources for sites/providers

We have developed two free and interactive ESCAPE-pain e-learning resources, together with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare.

The resources are aimed at prospective ESCAPE-pain sites/providers.

The first session is aimed at helping interested providers determine how ESCAPE-pain may fit within their organisation and to begin the process towards implementation. The second session is aimed at professionals (healthcare professionals and exercise instructors) who plan to deliver the programme and become ESCAPE-pain facilitators.

The e-Learning resources were commissioned by the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and developed by Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare, in collaboration with ESCAPE-pain and the Health Innovation Network.

Read more about the e-Learning resources.

Celebrating the ESCAPE-pain programme

To honour the ESCAPE-pain national programme we are sharing four new video case studies from participants around the country, who along with thousands of other people, have made positive improvements to their lives as a result of completing the programme. Hear from Ann, Ray, Eileen and John how their lives have changed. 

For more videos and case studies visit our Personal Stories page.

Versus Arthritis ESCAPE-pain celebratory animation

Versus Arthritis produced an ESCAPE-pain animation to celebrate the programme. Have a look to see what was achieved.

Latest news

• 10 August 2021: ESCAPE-pain paper published. Read “Providing easier access to community-based healthcare for people with joint pain: Experiences of delivering ESCAPE-pain in community venues by exercise professionals” to understand why community-based providers want to deliver ESAPE-pain and how they have sustained the programme.
• 28 May 2021: Read our latest newsletter - Spring edition
• 27 May 2021: ESCAPE-pain referenced in the Slaintecare 10th webinar series entitled 'Collaborative Working for Innovation and Change'. The webinar featured presentations from four Slaintecare funded projects which have demonstrated collaborative working. Included in this was the 'ARMED with ESCAPE-pain' project from colleagues at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, Ireland.
• 25 May 2021: ESCAPE-pain article on the Sirona care & and health website, 'Virtual exercise programme helps people cope with chronic pain'.
• 27 April 2021: Read the article, 'Take exercise, not tablets - that's NICE advice', by Professor Mike Hurley, originator of the ESCAPE-pain programme, on the ukactive website, where he discusses the importance of exercise in supporting the NHS and GPs.

Contact us by email at hello@escape-pain.org for more information.

Page last reviewed: 25 August 2021. Page last updated: 25 August 2021. Next review date: October 2021

ESCAPE-pain app

Available for Android devices