‘R.E.A.C.H. RESOURCES HELP PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN MAKE PERSONALISED MOVEMENT DECISION
Physical Activity Resources for Chronic Pain – Dublin City University (DCU) and Chronic Pain Ireland (CPI) have officially launched R.E.A.C.H. (Resources for Empowering Activity through Co-design and Health Literacy), a national digital resource suite designed to empower people living with chronic pain to safely and confidently navigate daily physical activity. Co-designed with people living with chronic pain, this FREE toolkit aims to help people to bridge the health literacy gap in chronic pain self-management.
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 3rd 2026
‘R.E.A.C.H. RESOURCES HELP PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN MAKE PERSONALISED MOVEMENT DECISION
Dublin City University and Chronic Pain Ireland launch a free, co-designed toolkit to bridge the health literacy gap in chronic pain self-management.
Tailored Support: Replaces generic advice with tools that respect daily fluctuations in pain, energy, sleep, and fatigue.
Grounded in Lived Experience: Co-designed with people living with pain and Chronic Pain Ireland to ensure real-world relevance.
Fully Accessible: Free suite includes a decision guide, narrative booklet, tracking journal, and instructional video series.
DUBLIN, 3 September 2026 – Dublin City University (DCU) and Chronic Pain Ireland (CPI) have officially launched R.E.A.C.H. (Resources for Empowering Activity through Co-design and Health Literacy), a national digital resource suite designed to empower people living with chronic pain to safely and confidently navigate daily physical activity.
Chronic pain affects up to one in three people in Ireland. While physical activity is recommended in clinical guidelines to enhance quality of life, standard exercise advice often ignores fluctuating symptoms, leading to pain-related fear and inactivity. R.E.A.C.H. moves away from rigid targets, offering a practical, flexible framework that adapts to how a person feels on any given day.
Funded by Research Ireland’s New Foundations Scheme, the free toolkit includes:
Movement Decision Booklet: A practical guide to help individuals assess current pain, energy, and sleep before deciding to move or rest.
Stories That Move You Booklet: A collection of lived-experience narratives detailing personal adaptations, peer insights, and strategies.
Movement Journal: A self-management tool for tracking individual patterns in activity, fatigue, and recovery.
Video Series: Short guides exploring outdoor movement, capacity assessment, and breaking the “boom-and-bust” cycle.
Dr Kate Sheridan, Project Lead and Assistant Professor at DCU’s School of Health and Human Performance, said:
“Generic advice often frustrates individuals whose pain and energy levels change daily. Movement can provoke distress when people don’t feel supported. R.E.A.C.H. was co-designed directly with people living with chronic pain to build health literacy and self-efficacy. It equips individuals with the confidence and practical tools to make tailored movement decisions that suit their body on any given day.”
Christina Donnelly, Executive Director of Chronic Pain Ireland, said:
“People living with chronic pain are often given broad advice to be more active, but that advice does not always reflect the decisions involved. Pain, fatigue, disrupted sleep and fluctuating capacity can all affect what is manageable at a particular time.
“REACH begins with the person, their body, experiences, interests and circumstances. These resources are not about pushing through pain or meeting somebody else’s target. They are designed to help people pause, take stock and make a movement decision that is appropriate for them that day.
“We are particularly proud that Chronic Pain Ireland members’ voices are central to the project. Their stories show that movement is personal and that adaptation, pacing, rest and appropriate support all matter.”
Fionnuala Fildes – PPI contributor to the project – living with chronic pain said
‘It is so important to keep yourself active, I adapted my shed and put in exercise equipment, I also garden for hours and joined a local choir. Movement is for everyone, find what you love to do’
The launch precedes CPI’s Pain Awareness campaign (starting 14 September) and will be supported by a free public launch webinar on 8 September at 1:00 PM, hosted by Dr Kate Sheridan.
Access the free R.E.A.C.H. resources https://chronicpain.ie/physical-activity-and-chronic-pain/
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For more information or to request interviews with members of Chronic Pain Ireland living with pain contact Chronic Pain Ireland on 01 8047567 or email info@chronicpain.ie
NOTES TO EDITORS
About R.E.A.C.H.: R.E.A.C.H. stands for Resources for Empowering Activity through Co-design and Health Literacy: Movement for People Living with Chronic Pain. The initiative bridges academic research in health literacy with real-world community self-management.
Funding & Partners: Led by DCU’s School of Health and Human Performance in partnership with Chronic Pain Ireland and the HELP (Healing and Empowering Lives in Pain) PPI Steering Group, funded via Research Ireland’s New Foundations Scheme.
About Chronic Pain Ireland: CPI is the national charity providing information, education, self-management support, and advocacy for individuals living with chronic pain across Ireland.
Photo 1: Fionnuala Fildes – One of the participants with lived experience of chronic pain who took part in the HELP (Healing and Empowering Lives in Pain) PPI Steering Group says “As a person living with chronic pain ‘It is so important to keep yourself active, I adapted my shed and put in exercise equipment, I also garden for hours and joined a local choir. Movement is for everyone, find what you love to do’ Photo Credit: Paul Sharp, Sharppix.
Photo 2: R.E.A.C.H. CPI – Stories That Move You Booklet Cover Front cover of booklet, practical resource designed to help people living with chronic pain consider factors such as pain, energy and sleep when making decisions about physical activity. Image credit: Chronic Pain Ireland / Dublin City University R.E.A.C.H. project
Photo 3: R.E.A.C.H. CPI – Movement Decision Guide Booklet Cover Front cover of booklet, practical resource designed to help people living with chronic pain consider factors such as pain, energy and sleep when making decisions about physical activity. Image credit: Chronic Pain Ireland / Dublin City University R.E.A.C.H. project. Image credit: Chronic Pain Ireland / Dublin City University R.E.A.C.H. project.
Link to resource booklets on website https://chronicpain.
