Canadian Armed Forces members devote their lives to serving their country, often at great costs to their personal health and well-being. Research from Veteran Affairs Canada indicates veterans are twice as likely to experience chronic pain when compared to the general population.

In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Tom Hoppe, a patient advocate and veteran who lives with chronic pain. He shares his personal experiences and talks about the impacts of military culture on pain, the challenges veterans often experience with accessing health care following military service, and his hopes for how organizations like the recently established Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans (CPCOE) will improve the lives of the 41% of veterans who live with pain.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- Research on chronic pain among Canadian veterans: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-vac/research/research-directorate/info-briefs/chronic-pain
- Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans (CPCOE): https://www.veteranschronicpain.ca