Why physiotherapists need a shared language for pain

Pain is complex, individual and rarely as simple as tissue damage, yet many of us were trained on a model that says otherwise. The new Physiopedia Plus (Plus) Pain Neuroscience Education Programme is a series of online courses that helps you update your whole framework for thinking about pain and translate it into better outcomes for your patients.

Pain is the single most common reason people seek physiotherapy. As understanding of pain science has evolved from a purely biomedical model to a biopsychosocial one, physiotherapists worldwide are being called to update not just their techniques, but their entire framework for thinking about pain.

Pain is not simply a signal of tissue damage. It is a complex, individual experience shaped by biological, psychological and social factors. Patients with the same injury can have wildly different pain experiences, and clinicians who rely solely on a “damage equals pain” model often struggle to explain persistent pain, let alone treat it effectively.

Effective pain management requires you to:

• Understand the neuroscience behind acute and chronic pain
• Apply the biopsychosocial model in real clinical assessments
• Communicate pain concepts in ways patients can understand and act on
• Use non-pharmacological strategies to support recovery and long-term function
• Recognise how physical activity itself can be therapeutic in chronic pain populations

The new programme from Plus was built to address exactly these needs, combining foundational science with practical, case-based application. What makes it particularly powerful is not just the content, but the people behind it. The instructors come from different countries, different time zones and different corners of clinical practice. Yet across every course, they speak a remarkably consistent language when it comes to pain: one grounded in evidence, empathy and the biopsychosocial model.

Jessica Bell teaches Pain Management in Function Based Rehabilitation. A New Zealand-trained physiotherapist with experience across both public and private settings, her clinical focus on musculoskeletal physiotherapy grounds the course in the everyday realities of practice, connecting pain science to functional, real-world rehabilitation.

Stacy Schiurring teaches Neuroscience of Pain. Based in Texas, USA, Stacy’s career spans acute care to outpatient services and she holds advanced certifications in neurological rehabilitation. Her interests in stroke rehabilitation, pain management, wheelchair seating and wound care inform a neuroscience-first lens on how pain is processed, and how interventions interact with the nervous system.

Jacquie Kieck teaches three of the programme’s courses. A graduate of the University of the Free State, South Africa, she now works in New Zealand as a clinical physiotherapist with a special interest in pain management. In Pain Neuroscience Education Explained and its companion Case Examples course, she guides learners from foundational pain science through to a detailed case study of a patient with a meniscus injury and complex biopsychosocial presentation. She closes the series with Physical Activity and Chronic Pain, setting out practical strategies for using movement against chronic pain.

Despite their geographic distance and varied clinical paths, from New Zealand to the USA, from neurological rehabilitation to musculoskeletal practice to pain specialism, these instructors consistently return to the same core principles: pain is real, pain is complex, and effective management requires looking beyond tissue damage to the whole person. That convergence reflects a global shift in physiotherapy towards evidence-based, biopsychosocially informed pain care, and it’s exactly what this programme aims to equip you with.

The programme takes you on a structured journey:

• Pain Management in Function Based Rehabilitation establishes the biopsychosocial foundation, pain types and mechanisms, using case examples.
• Neuroscience of Pain dives into the neurological origins of pain perception and how interventions interact with the nervous system.
• Pain Neuroscience Education Explained introduces the 2020 IASP definition of pain and practical strategies for implementing pain neuroscience education clinically.
• Pain Neuroscience Education Case Examples applies these principles to a real-world case, identifying pain drivers across biological, psychological and social domains.
• Physical Activity and Chronic Pain closes the programme with the evidence and strategies for using movement as medicine in chronic pain.

Pain science is not static, and neither is best practice. Physiotherapists who invest in understanding contemporary pain science are better equipped to help patients move from fear and avoidance towards confidence and function, whether they’re treating acute injuries or long-standing chronic pain.

Whether you’re newly qualified or decades into clinical practice, this programme offers a chance to refresh, deepen and apply your understanding of pain, guided by instructors who, despite their different paths, all arrive at the same place: patient-centred, evidence-informed pain care.