A SPINAL clinic has opened near Helmsley targeting people with chronic back and neck pain.

Appletree Clinic, in Stonegrave, has been opened by Rachel Stearn in a bid to help people in chronic pain.

“Too many people are living with pain, and it’s not even being talked about,” she said.

“There's a lot in the news at the moment about hospital waiting lists being worse than ever, but behind those alarming numbers is hidden an even more worrying statistic - the huge volume of people suffering chronic pain who are not even on those waiting lists.”

Around 15.5 million people in England have chronic pain, meaning they've suffered for three months or more, according to a survey by Public Health England.

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Approximately 5.5 million people have high-impact chronic pain and struggle to take part in daily activities, and 10 million people have low-impact chronic pain.

This mostly affects necks, shoulders, backs and arms.

Rachel added: “Before setting up Appletree Clinic I spent some time working in primary care across various GP Surgeries.

“Most of my career had been spent working in hospitals - both clinics and operating theatres - where the patients we saw had usually been referred by doctors or other specialists, or arrived in A&E requiring emergency spinal or neurological surgery.

“I wanted to gain deeper knowledge of how patients are dealt with when they turn up and first report their symptoms.

“So I worked for a few months in local practices in North Yorkshire, seeing patients face to face, and for a practice in London offering video consultations.

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“What struck me was just how many people are suffering with long-term pain conditions, and how many of them just seem to be living with mobility problems and taking regular painkillers.

“It seems the system just isn't geared up to solving chronic problems, and instead often people spend years trying various sorts of treatments like physiotherapy, chiropractic or massage, alongside painkillers - but never really getting to the root of the problem, and so never finding lasting relief.

“For many, a different approach is needed. And it starts with a proper diagnosis.

“In setting up Appletree Clinic I know I'm not going to make any significant difference to the statistics.

“If 15.5 million with chronic pain becomes 15.4 million I'll be delighted!

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“For me it's not about the numbers … it's about the world of difference it can make to just one human being, and their family, if they get some respite, and can start to move around and resume their life as it was before.

“That's what it's all about for me, and I just hope I can help a small number of people in a meaningful way.”

More information about Appletree Clinic can be found on its website.