Interesting questions, Lisa! We have found that the chronic pain patients tend to want to protect their privacy and anonymity, so designing websites that allow patients to control access to their data is important. And yes, pain is definitely an impediment at times - a common trigger for migraine patients is looking at the computer screen. On the other hand, for other chronic pain or mood disorders, being online is a great way to connect, not feel so isolated, and often just pass the time until the pain is gone.

Thanks for raising this issue, on behalf of myself and the millions of others (mostly women) who live with chronic pain conditions.

Alexandra Carmichael Co-Founder, CureTogether.org

You raise some interesting questions. I'm coming at this from the perspective of living with chronic pain for six years and also studying social work currently. I have personally found that online participation in some forum, either a forum designed specifically for people with pain or just through public blog entries which often attract other pain sufferers. I think the benefits come from the writing, the information and support and the ability to be distracted.

I do find that the pain can be a barrier to participation. I think this depends on the person and how pain affects them. For me, it's hard to focus when I'm in a lot of pain. I find that pain impacts my language abilities.

One other barrier I come across is that many pain related sites are not always desiggned with web site accessibility in mind. I know this barrier can affect anyone who needs to access the web differently (using screen reading software, alternative input devices or voice activation software). Since chronic pain can be a part of other disabilities or be a disability in itself, I wonder if patients would benefit from increased accessibility of these sites through increased participation.

It's amazing how a small problem in the spine can cause joint and bone inflammation in the fingers and toes. Has anyone ever compared the peripheral nervous system to the Internet? Like the Internet, the nervous system exists all over the place: It conveys body-wide messages, but watch out, it can also cause body-wide pain.

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