Category: Pain Science

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Discovering novel & effective pain treatments

About the event

We are SO excited to welcome Dr. Kirsty Bannister to Le Pub

Kirsty will be talking about the reality of discovering novel and effective pain-relieving treatments through performing bench to beside translational research.

Chronic pain affects up to 20% of the adult population and can occur in the presence or absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage. ‘Nothing is more unique than our experience of pain and the idea that the same stimulus could evoke a different pain sensation in different individuals has always fascinated me’.

‘There have been great improvements in our understanding of pain physiology and pathophysiology over the years, but why hasn’t this translated to a met clinical analgesic need? By discussing the ways in which we currently assess nociception and pain in non-human and human experimental models, we will slowly unravel the intricacies and challenges of treating persistent pain in varied patient groups’.

This is going to be an incredible Le Pub Homebrew!

World Event Times

London, Thursday, 18 March 2021, 20:00 GMT

Amsterdam, Thursday, 18 March 2021, 21:00 CET

New York, Thursday, 18 March 2021, 16:00 EDT

Dr. Kirsty Bannister

Kirsty Bannister is a Lecturer in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at Guy’s campus, King’s College London. Kirsty does research in neuropharmacology.

Kirsty leads the Bannister lab group, where she focuses on the biological, pharmacological and anatomical basis of pain pathways and their plasticity in chronic pain states. Modules that she teaches on include Physiology and Pharmacology of the Central Nervous System, Pharmacology of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Core Year One Fundamentals of Pharmacology, and Neuroscience.

Cancellation Terms

Places can be cancelled and refunded up to 48 hours before the start of the event. Within 48 hours of start time no refund.

Recordings

Please note that Le Pub Home Brew is a LIVE EVENT. We are looking at options for giving access to recordings in the future, but right now, we are doing what we are best at – bringing you awesome live and interactive learning events!

Kirsty Bannister Efic interview with Morten Hoegh

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Find out when exercise will help or hinder when you’re experiencing pain

Find out when exercise will help or hinder when you're experiencing pain

About this event

Exercise is a recommended treatment for those with chronic pain. However, individuals with chronic pain have significant pain during activity that can interfere with exercise treatments. We will discuss the underlying neurobiology for how physical activity increases and decreases pain, the clinical implications of these findings, and how treatment with TENS can reduce movement-evoked pain.

World Event Times

London, Thursday, 18 February 2021, 20:00:00 GMT

Amsterdam, Thursday, 18 February 2021, 21:00:00 CET

New York, Thursday, 18 February 2021, 15:00:00 EST

Kathleen A. Sluka, PT, PhD, FAPTA

Professor of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science

Dr. Sluka’s laboratory studies the peripheral and central mechanisms of chronic musculoskeletal pain, and non-pharmacological treatment for chronic pain. These studies involve the use of animal models of muscle pain developed and characterized in Dr. Sluka’s laboratory, as well as projects in human subjects. We use a variety of techniques to address these questions including cell culture, molecular biology, genetic manipulations, behavioral pharmacology, and standard clinical trial methodology. Our overall goals are to improve the management of pain for people with a variety of musculoskeletal pain conditions by discovering the underlying mechanisms that lead to the development of chronic pain, discovering new therapies for pain management, and improving the use of currently available treatment for pain.

Cancellation Terms

Places can be cancelled and refunded up to 48 hours before the start of the event. Within 48 hours of start time no refund.

Recordings

Please note that Le Pub Home Brew is a LIVE EVENT. We are looking at options for giving access to recordings in the future, but right now, we are doing what we are best at – bringing you awesome live and interactive learning events!

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Central Sensitization: Viewpoints in JOSPT

Synopsis

This article is recently published in JOSPT – (here)

 

Central sensitization is a physiological mechanism associated with enhanced sensitivity and pain responses. At present, central sensitization cannot be determined directly in humans, but certain signs and symptoms may be suggestive of it. Although central sensitization has received increasing attention in the clinical literature, there is a risk that certain distinctions are being lost. This paper summarizes current knowledge of the physiology of central sensitization and its possible manifestations in patients, in order to inform a debate about the relevance of central sensitization for physical therapists. It poses 6 challenges associated with the application of central sensitization concepts in clinical practice and makes suggestions for assessment, treatment, and use of terminology. Physical therapists are asked to be mindful of central sensitization and consider potential top-down as well as bottom-up drivers, in the context of a person-centered bio- psychosocial approach.

Key Points

  • Central sensitization is a physiological and reversible mechanism associated with enhanced sensitivity and pain responses.
  • Until better markers are available, detection of central sensitization in humans remains tentative.
  • We must be careful that the concept of central sensitization is not used interchangeably with psychological manifestations.
  • Let us keep an open mind about central sensitization as our knowledge about this in

About the author

Matt Low

Matt is a Consultant Physiotherapist in the NHS and is a visiting associate at the Orthopaedic Research Institute at Bournemouth University. He qualified from the University of Southampton and is a member of the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP) following completion of his Masters degree in Neuromusculoskeletal Physiotherapy at the University of Brighton.

Matt has lectured and examined for pre-registration and post-registration students at a number of Universities in the South of England. He has lectured on subjects such as motor control, spinal manipulation and clinical reasoning skills. He has interests in compassionate person-centred care, the theory of causation within the healthcare setting, philosophy, reflective practice and critical thinking skills.

@mattlowpt

Matt will join us in the future for a f2f course. This particular article is a great pre-read for Melissa Farmer’ talk in Le Pub Home Brew

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The role of C fibres in the generation of an increase in the flexor response to noxious stimuli

The role of C fibres in the generation of an increase in the flexor response to noxious stimuli

More for the thirsty (for knowledge) pain geek! Clifford Woolf and Pat Wall probing the role of C fibres in the generation of an increase in the flexor response to noxious stimuli.In other words:

– Suck some brain out of rats but keep enough in so they are still technically alive.

– Pick one of 3 different methods that will strongly stimulate (conditioning stimuli) the nerves – electrocute, irritate with a chemical, make the muscle work really hard for a long time

–  Look at how the rat responds before and after they’ve been conditioned with these stimuli- Then find out what happens if you block the nerves – before and after the conditioning stimuli

–  Demonstrate that the increased response to a noxious stimulus long after the conditioning stimuli has a strong central (in the spinal cord) component

–  Call this heterosynaptic facilitation- Wonder if these mechanisms have any baring on people experiencing chronic painIn their words:”Peripheral activation of C-afferents will modify the functional response of the spinal cord to other inputs applied long after the conditioning input, and this may be responsible for some of the sensory and motor alterations found after peripheral tissue injury.”

“The excitability increase is heterosynaptic because a conditioning stimulus in one group of primary afferents increases the response to other groups of afferents.”

“The presence of widespread tenderness (allodynia) with disordered movement is frequently the most disturbing symptom in patients in chronic pain. Therefore, the phenomena we report here deserves further attention as a possible model of a particularly distressing human state.”

 

Check it out!

Get the paper
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Meet A/ Prof Tasha Stanton

If you’re interested in pain, you probably know Tasha’s work. If you weren’t living under a rock last year you’ll have seen that Tasha went viral with the ultimate take down after a man suggested that she “read Stanton’s work on the subject”. This gave rise to her legendary response “I. Am. Stanton.”

Tasha has joined us for a very special online and live Le Pub Home Brew session on 1 August 2020.  She took us through her adventures in pain, perception and science, explaining how the findings from carefully constructed research in the laboratory can inform and inspire studies that aim to relieve suffering and improve treatment for people living with persistent pain.

Tasha’s award winning research is focussed on understanding the deep complexity of why people hurt and why, sometimes, pain doesn’t go away. In order to do this, Tasha’s work has taken her to the frontiers of perception, using technology such as virtual and mediated reality to fundamentally alter peoples’ perception of their body and their experience of pain.

In this live and interactive online event, Tasha took us through some of her outstanding and novel findings, including how the sound of a rusty gate can influence someone’s perception of how stiff their back is and how a video illusion of a person’s knee being squashed or elongated can alter their experience of pain.

Stanton et al. (2017). Feelings of stiffness in the back: a protective, perceptual inference. Download

Tasha has definitely accomplished A LOT in her career so far. A brief professional introduction:

I am a physiotherapist and a clinical scientist. I began my physiotherapy career at a rehabilitation centre for injured workers in Canada. This sparked an interest in chronic pain; I then completed a Master’s in Rehabilitation Science studying the spinal mechanics of common stabilisation exercises. I gained a highly competitive International Recruitment Scholarship to complete my PhD at the University of Sydney under Profs Chris Maher and Jane Latimer, world leaders in low back pain and epidemiology. I have since received two highly competitive postdoctoral fellowships (10% and 15% success rates) and moved into a world- leading clinical pain neuroscience group at UniSA, under the mentorship of Prof Lorimer Moseley. I now lead my own research group (1 post-doctoral fellow, 1 PhD, 1 Masters, 2 Honours students) evaluating perception, multisensory integration, cortical body representation, and pain.

Summary of Key Research Achievements:

I have received >$2.2m in competitive research funding and I have authored 53 peer-reviewed papers in high-quality pain and imaging journals. I have been first author or senior author on 40% of these papers (past 5 years). I have an h-index of 20 and my papers, the majority published since 2011, have >1400 citations. I have given Plenary or Keynote lectures, all costs covered, at >40 major international/national meetings. I have presented my research at 21 international and 34 national conferences in 14 countries. I have presented my research in specialised topical workshops at 10 conferences in 6 countries, chairing 3 of these. I have delivered 35 extramural lectures at the invitation of 12 universities and 9 hospitals in 4 countries. I am a Commissioning Editor for the BodyinMind Research Blog that has >65,000 visitors from 120 countries.