The Pain Podcast

lepubscientifique
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Biweekly

Every episode of The Pain Podcast features interviews with world-leading pain experts, delivering practical solutions for your toughest clinical challenges. You’ll get cutting-edge insights, evidence-based strategies, and actionable advice to revolutionise your approach to pain treatment and transform patient outcomes.

  1. Aug 12

    Episode 80: Playfulness, Creativity & Variability in Pain Rehab - Why It Doesn't Have to Be Boring

    Rehabilitation for persistent pain often defaults to structure — sets, reps, progressions. But what happens when the people in front of you have already tried all of that? In this episode, Bart van Buchem and Tim Beames make the case for playfulness, creativity, variability, and abundance as genuine therapeutic tools. They share practical clinical examples including constraint-based learning, metaphorical movement, and using distraction to unlock different movement strategies. They explore when patients need structured programmes and when they need permission to let go, why more control doesn't always mean better outcomes, and how small shifts in context can dramatically change someone's experience — drawing on Charles Spence's perceptual experiments as a vivid example. A hands-on, clinically grounded conversation for therapists ready to move beyond the exercise sheet. 🔗 Explore our full session library and premium membership at lepubscientifique.com

  2. Jul 15

    Episode 79: When Pain Shrinks Your World — How to Open It Back Up

    Description: Persistent pain doesn't just hurt — it shrinks your world. Less movement, fewer social connections, reduced spontaneity, and a narrowing field of what feels possible. In this episode, Bart van Buchem and Tim Beames explore environmental enrichment as a clinical framework for reopening that world. Drawing on affordance theory and ecological psychology, they discuss how to reframe exercise as lived experience, why small and consistent wins beat dramatic interventions, and how shifting a patient's state of mind can unlock new possibilities. They share practical approaches including constraint-based learning, playful exploration, and co-constructing enrichment plans rather than prescribing them. The episode closes with key questions clinicians can use to discover what brings their patients joy, curiosity, and energy — and what they've stopped doing that they miss. A grounded, practical conversation for therapists who want to move beyond protocols and into person-centred care. 🔗 Explore our full session library and premium membership at lepubscientifique.com

  3. Jun 17

    Episode 78: Reclaiming Agency When the Body Feels Like the Enemy

    What happens when persistent symptoms start calling the shots? In this episode, Bart van Buchem and Tim Beames dig into the concepts of agency and body ownership in persistent pain — how they differ, how they're disrupted, and what clinicians can do about it. They discuss the clinical reality of patients wanting to disconnect from painful body parts, the role of hypervigilance and suggestibility, and why uncertainty can fuel the cycle. The conversation then moves into practical territory: mirror therapy, graded motor imagery, visual feedback, and how to introduce experiential techniques in a way that feels safe and meaningful. They also touch on the exciting potential of VR and AI in rehabilitation. A clinically grounded conversation for therapists working with people in long-term pain. 🔗 Explore our full session library and premium membership at lepubscientifique.com

  4. May 20

    Episode 77: Language, Metaphors & Pain: Why the Words We Use Matter

    Pain has no objective test — so people depend on language to share what they're experiencing. In this episode, Tim Beames and Bart van Buchem unpack how clinicians can become better listeners, why patient metaphors matter far more than we might think, and how the language therapists use can either bridge or widen the gap between clinician and patient. They cover the skill of balancing open and directed questioning, how to work with chaotic or contradictory stories, and the difference between descriptive metaphors (sharp, electric), body perception metaphors (my head feels huge), and conceptual metaphors (fighting, war). Bart and Tim also explore the risks of layering on clinician-preferred metaphors and why your go-to explanations probably reflect your treatment bias. A practical, reflective conversation for therapists who want to sharpen their communication skills. 🔗 Join the Le Pub community and explore our full session library at lepupscientifique.com

  5. Apr 15

    Episode 76: “I Don’t Know” Isn’t a Failure: Uncertainty, Trust, and Clinical Confidence in Pain Care

    In this episode of The Le Pub Scientifique Podcast, Tim Beames and Bart van Buchem tackle a phrase many clinicians fear saying out loud: “I don’t know.” Working in pain care means working with complexity, variability, and uncertainty — yet clinicians often feel pressure to provide certainty, predictions, and clear answers. In this conversation, Tim and Bart explore why false certainty can quietly erode trust, and how learning to work honestly and skilfully with uncertainty can actually strengthen the therapeutic relationship. They discuss: Why uncertainty is inevitable in pain — and not a sign of incompetence The difference between confidence and certainty How over-explaining or overselling treatment can backfire When “I don’t know” builds trust — and when it doesn’t Reframing patient questions like “What’s wrong with me?” into deeper needs such as safety, support, and direction How curiosity, exploration, and experience help both clinicians and patients live better with uncertainty This episode is the first in a series exploring uncertainty, trust, and flexibility in clinical practice — especially relevant for clinicians working with persistent and complex pain. If you value thoughtful, reflective conversations like this, you can join Le Pub Scientifique: 👉 Free membership — access selected podcasts, discussions, and community content 👉 Premium membership — full access to podcast archives, science sessions, clinical coaching series, and in-depth conversations with leading clinicians and researchers 🔗 Join here: https://www.lepubscientifique.com/   #PainPodcast #ClinicalReasoning #PainEducation #LePubScientifique

  6. Mar 11

    Episode 75: When Everything Hurts: Exploring Predictive Processing in Fibromyalgia

    What happens when we try to apply predictive processing models to fibromyalgia? In this exploratory conversation, Tim Beames and Bart Van Buckem work through the clinical implications of understanding fibromyalgia through the lens of prediction, uncertainty, and sensitivity to difference. They discuss why unpredictability is so costly in fibromyalgia, why "healthy activity" can backfire, and how systems become sensitized to even tiny changes. The conversation explores concepts like entropy, allostasis, expectation violations, and the challenge of creating difference without creating threat. Bart brings healthy skepticism throughout, questioning the risks of mechanistic language and whether these models truly help in the clinic. Tim responds by translating theory into practical approaches: micro-variability, building baselines of safety, and pacing at a different timescale. This is thinking-out-loud science. Two clinicians trying to bridge theoretical models with clinical complexity in fibromyalgia—a condition where traditional approaches often fall short. Featuring: Tim Beames & Bart Van Buckem Duration: 39 minutes Level: All clinicians working with chronic pain Note: This episode is followed by a refinement piece where Tim reflects on the limitations of this approach.

  7. Feb 11

    Episode 74: When Assessment Becomes Treatment: Why the First Session Matters More Than You Think

    In this episode of The Pain Podcast, Tim Beames and Bart van Buchem explore a deceptively simple question: can assessment itself be therapeutic? Drawing on clinical experience from both in-person and online practice, they unpack how physical examinations are never neutral acts. Every question asked, every movement explored, and every test performed can shape expectations, build trust, reduce threat — or sometimes unintentionally increase it. Rather than viewing assessment as a box-ticking exercise, Tim and Bart discuss assessment as a shared process of sense-making. They explore: How validation, reassurance, and curiosity can emerge before any treatment begins The difference between testing and exploring Why over-testing can sometimes increase uncertainty or fear How assessments can update internal models and predictions about the body The role of safety, trust, and co-creation in early clinical encounters If you enjoy conversations like this and want to go deeper into pain science, clinical reasoning, and real-world practice, you can join Le Pub Scientifique. 👉 Free membership gives you access to selected episodes, discussions, and community content 👉 Premium membership unlocks full podcast archives, science sessions, clinical coaching series, and in-depth discussions with leading clinicians and researchers 🔗 Join here: https://www.lepubscientifique.com/   #PainPodcast #ClinicalReasoning #PainEducation

  8. Jan 14

    Episode 73: The Healing Nervous System: Neuroplasticity, Bioplasticity and Pain Recovery

    In this episode of The Pain Podcast, Tim Beames and Bart van Buchem take on a big, often buzzword-y topic: neuroplasticity in pain recovery. Starting from a real patient encounter (“I think this is about my neuroplasticity…”), they explore what this term actually means, where it comes from, and how to use it in a way that supports – rather than scares or blames – people living with persistent pain. You’ll hear them discuss: Neuroplasticity as ongoing adaptation and change, not just “brain rewiring”. The shift from a narrow neuro focus to a broader bioplasticity lens across multiple systems. The problem with “maladaptive plasticity” and “broken pathways” language – and how it can reinforce a sense of defectiveness. How difference and context (holidays, relationships, movement, meditation, therapy, altered states) create new embodied experiences that can open the door to change. The role of salience, reward and emotional tone in determining whether change is large enough – and meaningful enough – to stick. Why recovery often shows up first as better participation, connection and quality of life, even when pain scores don’t shift dramatically. Tim and Bart also reflect on popular “rewire your brain” narratives, highlighting where the metaphor can be helpful and where it risks oversimplifying complex science. This episode is for you if: You’re a clinician trying to talk about neuroplasticity without slipping into hype or hopelessness. You work with people whose pain has become the “status quo” and are looking for ways to create safe, meaningful difference. You live with persistent pain and want a validating, nuanced explanation that doesn’t blame your brain or your beliefs. Connect with Le Pub Scientifique 🔍 Explore more science sessions, clinical coaching series and resources for clinicians: https://www.lepubscientifique.com/ ✉️ Get in touch about teaching, courses or collaboration: info@lepubscientifique.com

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About

Every episode of The Pain Podcast features interviews with world-leading pain experts, delivering practical solutions for your toughest clinical challenges. You’ll get cutting-edge insights, evidence-based strategies, and actionable advice to revolutionise your approach to pain treatment and transform patient outcomes.

Information

  • Creator
    lepubscientifique
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Pain Podcast

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