Sorry to hear that you are having pain when quilting..you may wish to take a look at this web site www.thimblelady.com as she has developed a way of quilting which she says is without pain. I purchased her book recently called Perfect Hand Quilting without pain by Liuxin Newman (the thimblelady) at a recent quilt and craft show and she also has another book on applique..
She is a very talented lady and has won awards for her handquilting and she also teaches but i have not been fortunate enough to be able to attend one of her courses. Having said that the book is very detailed and goes through everything step by step. From memory she can do 14 stitches to the inch and her stitches are perfect. She has a range of products from her own needles to thimbles. There are also videos on her website to watch.
The book comes with a CD and she has also been on Simply Quilts.
Hope this information helps you.
Oops nearly forgot she also has a new product out which all those people who are trying to find to mark their fabric with would probably like. It is like a pencil but with a needle in it and you run it along the ruler where you want the fold to be and like magic it holds the fold. It would be great for applique etc and i think there is a video on her site about it too. I bought one of them too!! I had a good day that day!!