Rehab Science Understanding Pain: Why It's More Than Just Tissue Damage
9 snips
Mar 11, 2026 
Dr. Rachel Zoffness, pain scientist and psychologist who teaches and writes about chronic pain, explains the biopsychosocial view of pain. She talks about why medicine over-relies on pills and scans. She shares the “pain recipe” idea and how sleep, movement, thoughts, and attention shape pain. Practical strategies like pacing and graded exposure are highlighted.
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Pain Is Biopsychosocial Not Just Structural
- Pain Is A Biopsychosocial Problem constructed by biology, psychology, and sociology.
- Rachel Zoffness explains pain lives at the overlap of tissue/genetics, emotions/thoughts, and social factors like trauma and access to care.
Use A Pain Dial To Turn Pain Volume Down
- Use The Pain Dial to lower pain by reducing stress, improving mood, and redirecting attention.
- Zoffness instructs patients to actively relax muscles, cultivate positive emotions, and distract attention to turn the dial down.
Hurt Does Not Always Mean Harm
- Distinguish Hurt From Harm because pain (hurt) doesn't always equal tissue damage (harm).
- Zoffness emphasizes chronic pain arises from a sensitized central nervous system that can alarm without ongoing tissue injury.
