Sophie Shephard, who works in private practice at Active Physiotherapy, is calling on the state government to fund a public pain service in Wagga that acts as a one-stop-shop for those with chronic pain.

The service would be free-of-charge and offer a pain specialist, physio, psychologist and other medical professionals under one roof to assess patients and offer them a comprehensive treatment plan.

"Our goal should always be to treat people in the community if we can, [but] we're having all these potentially preventable ED admissions because people can't get their pain under control and it's the only option they've got," Mrs Shephard said.

In Wagga there is currently no public pain specialist. Patients can either travel to Canberra or Wodonga for public services - both involving a three-week residential program and significant waiting times - or get assessed via Nepean Pain Management in Sydney, which carries a fluctuating wait time of around 18 months.

"You get this great report saying 'this is all the stuff you need to do', but then we don't really have the support here locally to follow [treatment] through," Mrs Shephard said.

"Effectively you're asking people to continue putting their life on hold for 18 months just to get in to see someone, and that's only the start of the journey."

There are a few private services available in Wagga - mainly through travelling pain specialists - as well as private facilities in Canberra and Albury, but with a price tag in the hundreds "if you're lucky", it's just not possible for so many who are suffering.

28-year-old single mother Caitlin Dowdle has been suffering with chronic nerve issues for six years, which was initially misdiagnosed as migraines.

Once finally diagnosed she sought treatment in Albury-Wodonga, but with COVID lockdowns and huge patient demand she was placed on an urgent waitlist - a waitlist she is still on almost two years later.

"There's still no hope of me actually getting the treatment that I need," Ms Dowdle said.

She believes a dedicated service in Wagga would allow patients like her to stop relying on band-aid solutions and "get back to work [and] the community".

"There are so many people in the region who are suffering and it's not just the people who do suffer, it's their families who are trying to support them," Ms Dowdle said.

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Similar sentiments were shared by 53-year-old Liz Linsell, who has suffered from chronic pain since the age of 22 with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. In the past month alone she has made two trips to Sydney for spinal pain injections, with her husband having to take time off work to drive and the couple having to fork out money for accommodation.

"We're so desperate for these things here," Mrs Linsell said, describing the lack of services as "disgusting".

"We're not getting any support; I don't even know where you would go for support."

Mrs Shephard started a Facebook group for her campaign late last week which garnered more than 300 members in its first 24 hours. She now hopes to launch a petition, and if enough signatures are recorded the NSW Health Minister will have to formally respond.

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