Acute Pain Resources

It might sound fancy, but acute pain is really simple: it’s the pain that happens when we have some sort of injury that tells us ‘HEY YOU! YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION!"

It’s your body’s handy way of letting you know something may be wrong. Whether it’s surgery, or a broken bone, or a burn, there are some things you can and should do to help yourself and kids feel better and more in control.

Good General Information

Digital Tool

Pain Champions Guide for Parents

Learn all you need to know about how to manage needle pain and anxiety through this interactive tech tool.

Downloads

Understanding Pain Handout

Knowing how pain works is key to learning how to prevent and manage it. This handout breaks it all down to make it easier for patients and providers.

Digital Tool

SuperMeg Poke Planner

Have no fear, SuperMeg is here! This interactive tech helps your child create a plan for being more calm and comfortable during needle pokes.

Blog Post

How to Make Shots Hurt Less for Kids and Overcome Needle Phobia

Get ready for Needle Poke Game Day with these expert, research-backed strategies for getting your kiddo through a needle poke with more comfort and less pain– Yes, really! These strategies help shots hurt less!

What parents can do

Digital Tool

Pain Champions Guide for Parents

Learn all you need to know about how to manage needle pain and anxiety through this interactive tech tool.

Video

Be The Boss Of Your Brain

Learn how to manage pain during medical procedures with this video from Stanford Children's Health.

Video

Built to Empower: Pain Management Tools for All

Dr. Jody Thomas talks about how the Meg Foundation's freely available resources and tools are designed to empower kids, families, and adults to better manage their pain experience.

Video

Framing the Story AFTER Needle Pokes

What you say after a needle poke matters, and sets the stage for the future!

Video

The Warning Signal

Learning HOW pain works helps give you ways to control it.

Video

Using Vibration To Block the Pain Signal!

Yes, it really works. This shows you how.

What kids can do

Digital Tool

ImaginAction

This website teaches you how you can use your imagination to have more control over your brain, your body, and your experience.

Video

Sesame Street: "Belly Breathe" with Elmo

Common, Colbie Caillat, and Elmo teach breathing skills to kids!

Video

Using Vibration To Block the Pain Signal!

Yes, it really works. This shows you how.

Video

Numbing Cream: How to make it work for you!

Learn how to do this research proven, expert recommended strategy

A Note About Keeping This Free

Good pain care should be a right, not a privilege.

We’ve spent our careers treating pain and medical anxiety, and we know that comfort and control come from putting the power where it belongs: in your hands. Everything here is free and open source by design. No parent should have to pay to learn how to get their child through a vaccine or a bad headache. No provider should have to hunt for what they need to do their job well. Hundreds of thousands of people have used Meg tools, and not one of them has ever been asked to pay.

But free still costs something.

We rely on the generosity of people like you to keep it that way. It takes about 1 in 30 of us, each giving $15 a month, to keep these tools available for free. If they helped you and you’re able, $15 a month keeps these resources available the next time you or another family need them.

Thanks for being here. Whether you are able to give or not, I’m so grateful a kid somewhere has you in their corner.

— Dr. Jody, Founder and CEO

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