Changepain Medical & Allied Health Clinic
Fourteen years ago, Dr. Brenda Lau, Medical Director of Changepain Clinic, recognized a critical gap in the healthcare system. Patients dealing with chronic pain were facing wait times of up to five years just to access care, and the services that did exist were often scattered across different hospitals with no real connection to one another. After spending a decade trying to build better solutions from within the hospital system, Dr. Lau realized that meaningful change would require something new: a dedicated space where innovation and integrated care could come together under one roof.Â
That vision became Changepain Clinic. For Dr. Lau, the mission behind it goes back even further than the clinic's founding. She often says she knew at just seven years old, watching families in her community struggle with work injuries and chronic pain, that something had to change. It would take another two decades before that early conviction turned into a career in medicine, and eventually into the clinic itself.Â
Today, Changepain is known as both a pain clinic and a rehabilitation space. It offers standard pain therapies, such as muscle release procedures and joint or spine interventions, alongside more advanced treatments, including regenerative therapies for injured tendons and ligaments, as well as infusion-based care using lidocaine and ketamine. What sets the clinic apart is its collaborative model. Specialists in physiotherapy, kinesiology, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and counselling all work together in the same space, treating patients as whole people rather than addressing a single symptom in isolation.Â
This integration goes beyond scheduling shared appointments. With specialists working side by side everyday, the team is able to compare notes, discuss emerging research, and identify breakthroughs that might not otherwise make it into a formal consult note. It's an approach built around the understanding that pain rarely affects just one part of the body. It can shape how someone works, learns, parents, and connects with the people around them, touching energy levels, mood, and overall well-being along the way.
To extend that same standard of care beyond the walls of the clinic, Changepain also offers virtual services. Physician-led group medical visits allow patients across British Columbia to take part in sessions that combine neuroscience education with safe movement practices, sometimes including approaches like yoga or pilates. Because these sessions are co-led by a physician, they are covered under MSP, meaning patients anywhere in the province can access this kind of integrated support regardless of their location.Â
By focusing on whole-person care, Changepain Clinic looks beyond a single symptom to address how pain impacts daily life, work, and relationships. The team's expertise extends well past treating injuries and complications from surgery, cancer treatment, or motor vehicle accidents. Dr. Lau is quick to point out that the clinic is just as focused on longevity and prevention as it is on recovery, helping patients build long-term health and improve how their body and mind perform over time.Â
As a proud member of the Burnaby Board of Trade, Changepain Clinic continues to bring this integrated, whole-person approach to patients throughout the community and across the province. To learn more about their services and approach to whole-person care, visit Changepain.ca.Â
