In this episode, we’re talking about making sense of beliefs and behaviors in pain care. Our expert guest is Dr. Samantha Bunzli who is a physiotherapist and has worked in clinical practice for several years before undertaking a PhD with Professor Peter O’Sullivan at Curtin University in Australia. Her PhD research was entitled, “A Qualitative Investigation of Pain-Related Fear in People with Low Back Pain.” She is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Melbourne working to optimize treatment outcomes for people with osteoarthritis. Dr. Bunzli’s work is part of an international effort to change the narrative in musculoskeletal pain care. She’s been awarded major grants by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia to improve evidence-based decision-making among orthopedic surgeons and implement non-surgical care pathways for people with end-stage osteoarthritis.

In this episode, you’ll learn why the beliefs people hold about their musculoskeletal pain matter, where do unhelpful beliefs come from, and how the common-sense model could help us understand unhelpful beliefs and behaviors. Samantha describes findings from her qualitative research based on data collected through interviews from both patients as well as clinicians. She is keen to emphasize the qualitative research is more than just the collection of stories. It involves robust methods of data collection and analysis.

Rather than going into detail about these methods, Samantha has provided free access to all of her research in which she explains the science behind qualitative research and describes the contribution qualitative approaches can make in the field of pain science. This includes some of her first work in the Journal Of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. In 2017, an article titled, “Making Sense of Low Back Pain and Pain-Related Fear,” as well as the 2019 study in the Journal of Clinical Orthopedic Simulated Research titled, “Misconceptions and the Acceptance of Evidence-Based Nonsurgical Interventions for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study.” Let’s learn about how the common-sense model can help us understand unhelpful beliefs and behaviors when it comes to chronic musculoskeletal pain with Dr. Samantha Bunzli.

Sign up for the latest episode at www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/podcasts/.

In this episode, we are exploring physiotherapy, yoga therapy and pain science with physiotherapist, Neil Pearson. Neil is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and the founding chair of the Physiotherapy Pain Science Division in Canada. He is a recipient of the Canadian Pain Society's Excellence in Interprofessional Pain Education Award and faculty in international yoga therapist training programs. Neil develops pain care resources, collaborates in research and serves as a mentor for health professionals and yoga practitioners looking to enhance their therapeutic expertise. He's also a lead contributor to Pain BC's Pain Foundations and Gentle Movement Series as well as the coeditor of Yoga and Science in Pain Care: Treating the Person in Pain along with physiotherapists, Shelly Prosko and Marlysa Sullivan. You'll learn all about yoga and yoga therapy for pain management, as well as the neuroscience that supports its effectiveness and use in the world of yoga, yoga therapy and physiotherapy. I want to thank Neil for his contribution. This episode is a great tool that you can use if you're a yoga therapist, a physical therapist or a physiotherapist, and you're interested in the intersection between yoga and/or pain science. It's great to share with your patients, your clients or your colleagues.

Sign up for the latest episode at www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/podcasts/.

On this episode, we're exploring the significance of Polyvagal Theory on autonomic resilience as it pertains to the management of chronic pain. Our expert guest is Dr. Marlysa Sullivan. She is an assistant professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health in both yoga therapy and health promotion. She's also an adjunct professor at the Emory University in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program where she teaches the integration of yoga and mindfulness in physical therapy. She has a new book out which is co-edited with physiotherapists, Shelly Prosko and Neil Pearson called Yoga and Science in Pain Care, which we'll be discussing through the lens of Polyvagal Theory. As a researcher, Marlysa has also contributed to the evidence base with regard to yoga therapy and Polyvagal Theory. If you'd like to get a taste of Dr. Sullivan's work with regards to yoga therapy and Polyvagal theory, she has provided a free download of her paper.

The paper's called Yoga Therapy and Polyvagal Theory: The Convergence of Traditional Wisdom and Contemporary Neuroscience. To download this paper, all you have to do is text the word, 157Download, to the number 44222. You can also open up a new browser on your computer and type in www.IntegrativePainScienceInstitute.com/157download. Before we begin, make sure you take a moment to join the Integrative Pain Science Institute and the Healing Pain Podcast community Facebook group. Here you'll be able to connect with like-minded health professionals from the world of physical therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, medicine, nursing. Almost every profession is part of this group and you can connect with them with regard to integrative pain care and what's happening in the world of integrative pain science. To join that group, just go to www.Facebook.com/groups/IPSICommunity. You can send me a quick email. My email address is Joe@IntegrativePainScienceInstitute.com and I'll send that link to you. Sit back, relax and let's get ready to learn about Polyvagal Theory and pain science with Dr. Marlysa Sullivan.

Sign up for the latest episode at www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/podcasts/.

We're discussing the power of massage and manual therapy, how it can be used to manage pain and discomfort in infants and children. Our expert guest is Christine Robenalt. Christine graduated from Marquette University in 2001 with a Master's degree in Physical Therapy. Although she's worked in many different practice settings, Pediatrics is both her specialty as well as her passion. In addition to her degree in Physical Therapy, she's also a certified infant massage instructor through Loving Touch International and has additional in-depth training in primitive reflex integration. Christine has also furthered her education by completing the Integrative Pain Science Institute’s Functional Nutrition for Chronic Pain practitioner certification program and implements evidence-based nutrition education for both children and their families. You'll learn all about the research supporting the benefits of massage for infants and children, when you can start massaging your infant and if there are any conditions when you should not perform massage on your infant or child, what to do if your child is bothered by massage, doesn't like to be touched or maybe wants to sit still.

Christine will provide a free video demonstration. Hopefully you can access this on the blog at the Integrated Pain Science Institute. She'll teach you how to help an infant or child with pain from constipation. Christine has also provided you with a free PDF download all about massage for infants. After downloading and reading this handout, you'll feel confident and excited to begin massage with your child and you'll learn how massage and other sensory experiences directly impact your child's growth, development and learning. To download this PDF, all you have to do is text the word 156Download to the number 44222. You can type in the URL, www.IntegrativePainScienceInstitute.com/156Download. Let's begin and let's meet my friend and colleague, Christine Robenalt. 

Sign up for the latest episode at www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/podcasts/.