Most end up back in the doctor's office asking for directions. The trouble is: most physicians have little formal training in teaching self-management — especially when you're talking chronic pain, behavior change, pacing, coping strategies, mindset, integrating complementary tools, etc.
So what's the problem? The medical system still expects patients to self-manage, yet it rarely provides them with the necessary tools, structure, or support to do so effectively. The result: frustration, relapse, poor outcomes, overuse of passive therapies, and over-reliance on providers to "fix" pain.
How Anodunos Bridges That Gap
1. Teach the educators/navigators
We also train Providers in integrative, evidence-based, collaborative care so they can better support patients in their own self-management journey. (See our Navigator & Provider courses.)
2. Create a coordinated, integrative team
3. Embed learning + reflection over time
4. Advocacy & Institutional Scope
Why This Matters (And Why You Should Care)
Call to Action
Let's make "self-management" a promise patients can actually keep—not just a platitude.
That gap is exposed in the U.S. Pain Foundation's Living Well With Chronic Pain – An Educational Guide:
- It emphasizes the importance of self-management strategies (e.g., pacing, stress reduction, movement, sleep, relationships, mindset).
- Yet, it also notes that patients need support, coaching, and education to actually make those strategies work in the messy reality of life.
- The guide calls for a multi-modal, integrative approach (not just pills or single-modality treatment) and attention to mental health, social support, behavioral change, etc.
- The authors underscore that self-management is not a passive "here's a handout" but an active, continuous process of adjustment, feedback, and learning.
So what's the problem? The medical system still expects patients to self-manage, yet it rarely provides them with the necessary tools, structure, or support to do so effectively. The result: frustration, relapse, poor outcomes, overuse of passive therapies, and over-reliance on providers to "fix" pain.
How Anodunos Bridges That Gap
That's where what we do at Anodunos comes in. We're not just another pain curriculum. We aim to rewire how support is delivered. Here's how:
1. Teach the educators/navigators
We train Pain Navigators (non-clinical or clinical professionals) to guide patients — helping them translate self-management into daily habits, troubleshoot obstacles, and adjust strategies over time.
We also train Providers in integrative, evidence-based, collaborative care so they can better support patients in their own self-management journey. (See our Navigator & Provider courses.)
2. Create a coordinated, integrative team
Instead of expecting one clinician to "do it all," our model assembles a team of complementary practitioners—encompassing biomedicine, behavioral health, movement therapies, energy therapies, and more—coordinated by a navigator. That's aligned with the multi-modal approach the US Pain Foundation calls for
3. Embed learning + reflection over time
Self-management is dynamic: what works in week 1 may fail in month 6. We build modules, reflection, adjustment, and feedback loops into our curriculum so that patients (via navigators) and providers can evolve strategies, rather than treating them as static "skills."
4. Advocacy & Institutional Scope
We don't stop at education. To scale change, we push for insurance coverage of integrative services, a recognized "pain navigator" role, and policy shifts that make this a viable standard of care.
Why This Matters (And Why You Should Care)
- Better outcomes: Patients get fundamental, usable strategies (vs. "just try harder") and coaching to make them stick.
- Reduced provider burden: Physicians don't have to shoulder the full teaching responsibility—navigators and collaborative teams help lighten the load.
- Cost containment: More effective self-management means fewer exacerbations, less unnecessary imaging/interventions, and fewer crisis visits.
- Scalability: We can scale navigator + provider training more efficiently than scaling physician time.
Call to Action
If your organization is struggling with patient adherence, managing chronic pain caseloads, or wants to transition to value-based, integrative care—let's talk. Training navigators and aligning provider teams is the leverage point that nobody's funding enough yet.
Let's make "self-management" a promise patients can actually keep—not just a platitude.
The Anodunos Method
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