01/09/2026
Sometimes understanding pain isn’t enough.
A recent meta-analysis of 12 randomised controlled trials found that pain neuroscience education on its own produced a small reduction in pain - and broader benefits when combined with therapeutic exercise or other approaches. A separate 2026 qualitative review found that pain education landed better when it was pSometimes understanding pain isn’t enough.
A recent meta-analysis of 12 randomised controlled trials found that pain neuroscience education on its own produced a small reduction in pain - and broader benefits when combined with therapeutic exercise or other approaches. A separate 2026 qualitative review found that pain education landed better when it was personal, conversational, and delivered within a good therapeutic relationship.
Which tracks with what I see in sessions.
You can explain pain science clearly, and someone will nod and understand. Then they try the movement, it still hurts, and their lived experience wins.
But if during the session something shifts - through touch, position, movement, breathing, reassurance, whatever is right for that person - and they reach further than they expected, something else happens.
“Wait. I can do that.”
That’s different information. Not a reset, not a fix. Just an experience that doesn’t quite match the prediction the nervous system was holding.
Sometimes we need to understand what’s happening. Sometimes we need to experience something different. Often, both.
Research: Khan Z et al. (2026), The Clinical Journal of Pain. Kühn L et al. (2026), PAIN Reports.
📍 Welwyn Garden City | London
