Chronic pain is complex, often misunderstood, and it affects countless lives.
The research of Professor Lorimer Moseley offers a fresh perspective on pain and the relationship between the mind, the body and what we believe about both.
The mind and body connection
At the core of the work of Moseley is the idea that the body is more like a garden than a machine. A living, interconnected organism.
That view asks us to consider how our emotional and psychological state affects physical health. How we perceive and relate to a limb can influence its immune function and blood flow. Mind and body belong together in chronic pain management.
Three papers, one shift in thinking
2012
Teaching people about pain
Moseley argues for explaining pain directly rather than talking around it.
2015
Fifteen years of explaining pain
Moseley and Butler review where pain education had reached, and what it had changed.
2023
The emergence of pain science education
Moseley and colleagues set out the learning frameworks and how the teaching is delivered.
Understanding pain beyond the physical
Chronic pain often leads to a heightened sensitivity of the nervous system, known as central sensitisation. Pain can be triggered or intensified not only by physical issues but also by fear, anxiety and stress.
Easing those psychological stressors matters as much as addressing the physical side.
The role of movement and exercise
Movement and exercise are pivotal in managing chronic pain. Moseley advocates for gentle, purposeful movement. The idea is not to avoid activity that relates to pain, but to find a balance, with moderate, non aggravating exercise that does not lead to flare ups.
Discomfort, or a flare up
Moseley advocates for gentle, purposeful movement.
Settles within a day.
Lingers well past the session.
The idea is not to avoid activity that relates to pain, but to find a balance, with moderate, non aggravating exercise that does not lead to flare ups.
Gentle movement
Moseley advocates for gentle, purposeful movement.
Discomfort
Settles within a day.
A flare up
Lingers well past the session.
The balance
The idea is not to avoid activity that relates to pain, but to find a balance, with moderate, non aggravating exercise that does not lead to flare ups.
It also helps break the common misconception that pain is always a direct indicator of harm, and teaches the difference between discomfort and damage.
How to tell them apart
Discomfort
- Settles within a day.
- Eases as you keep moving.
- Does not change what you can do tomorrow.
A flare up
- Lingers well past the session.
- Builds through the activity.
- Costs you the next few days.
Rethinking pain and its causes
One of the most useful insights in this work is that pain is not a direct measure of tissue damage. That challenges traditional views, such as the belief that a slipped disc explains back pain.
Recognising that pain can exist without direct tissue damage lets you focus on whole recovery instead of hunting for one thing to repair.
A collaborative approach
Managing chronic pain well is a collaboration between the person and their practitioner. It involves care, education, understanding and reassurance.
Practitioners shape outcomes through their own beliefs and the expectations they set, and people are encouraged to take an active part in their own recovery.
A path forward
Pain is a deeply personal experience. It is not just a symptom, it is an interplay of the brain, the body and the mind, and it is shaped by life experience, emotional state and environment.
Chronic pain management is not one size fits all. It is a process of understanding, adaptation and proactive management. Working with the complexity rather than against it is what makes the difference to symptoms and to quality of life.
Pain that has been there a while
We assess properly, explain what we find, and build a plan around the thing you want to get back to.
Read about your first visitSources
- Moseley, G. L. (2012). Teaching people about pain: why do we keep beating around the bush? Pain Management, 2(1), 1 to 3.
- Moseley, G. L., and Butler, D. S. (2015). Fifteen Years of Explaining Pain: The Past, Present, and Future. The Journal of Pain, 16(9), 807 to 813.
- Moseley, G. L., Leake, H. B., Beetsma, A. J., Watson, J. A., Butler, D. S., van der Mee, A., Stinson, J. N., Harvie, D., Palermo, T. M., Meeus, M., and Ryan, C. G. (2023). Teaching People About Pain: The Emergence of Pain Science Education, its Learning Frameworks and Delivery Strategies. The Journal of Pain.