Discussion
chronic pain, pain
CHRONIC PAIN
The aim of this study was to explore how the participants in two non-pharmacological interventions aiming for self-management experienced the components of the interventions, and how the interventions induced changes in their lives with chronic pain.The main finding was that the informants from both interventions experienced to manage their chronic pain better, after participating in either the chronic pain self-management course or the drop-in outdoor physical activity. These results elaborate the findings from the RCT in which this qualitative study was nested within [The findings in this study, therefore, add new knowledge about how and under what circumstances [This study further showed that being part of a social community or having a social life was valuable for keeping the pain at a distance, confirming the findings from other studies emphasizing that feeling supported is a vital component in the treatment and care of patients with chronic pain [Social support seems to be important for maintaining skills for self-management of chronic pain after the intervention, in addition to being in a socially supportive environment while attending an intervention [The findings from this study further demonstrate that non-pharmacological interventions in primary care containing the components of lectures (course), discussions with peers (both), physical activity (both) and group activities (both) helped the participants to better self-manage their chronic pain. The results also show that it matters how the groups are assembled regarding age and level of functioning.Future research should therefore explore the impact of social support from peers beyond non-pharmacological interventions for strengthening the self-management of chronic pain, in addition to assembling the best group composition regarding age, level of functioning, gender and group dynamics.