Explain Pain is a range of educational interventions aimed at changing someone’s understanding of what pain actually is, what function it serves, and what biological processes are thought to underpin it (Moseley & Butler 2015). Typically, the focus has centered on explaining what we know about the biology of pain. However, is this truly representative of an Explain Pain approach?

We will consider the current strengths and limitations of an approach that focusses on explaining the biology of pain, including the need to consider where this knowledge comes from, how applicable it is to the individual, and how and when it is delivered.

We will consider how influences from the person in pain, co-production, population health science and the changing sociocultural narratives are shifting our understanding of pain and its management and how this will shape an evolving Explain Pain approach.