Embodiment in Pain Science Education – Online

Martina gained her qualifications as a Physiotherapist in Germany. Working in sports and orthopaedic clinics in southern Germany after graduation led to an interest in Neurodynamics and on to further study with Martina completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy in 1996. Later, Martina completed a Masters by Science Degree at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, in 1999 focused on manual therapy concepts and their integration with pain science and psychology. This knowledge and experience was put into practice from 1999 to 2003 working in an interdisciplinary team in a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programme for chronic pain patients at the Pain Management and Research Centre (PMRC), The University of Sydney.

Martina’s passion for pain neuroscience and application of pain management strategies led to the development of the course The Problem Pain Patient, which she taught for 10 years together with Max Zusman. Later, Martina was instrumental in setting up a specialised pain physiotherapy training through the German Pain Society. Based on the IASP Curriculum, this course was first piloted in 2014 and Martina remains committed to updating and improving the design and delivery of this training.

In 2004 Martina joined NOI to undertake the translation of Explain Pain into German – Schmerzen verstehen. In 2006 she started teaching a course by the same name, and since then has been responsible for updates to the course including the translation and integration of the Protectometer, as well as translating the Graded Motor Imagery course so that no valuable content will be lost in translation.

In 2013 it was time for Martina and her family to return Down Under where they continue to live in Melbourne. Martina presently works in an outpatient Pain Network Program for patients with persistent pain after work or traffic accidents (Precision Ascend) and in the Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management at St. Vincent’s Hospital. She regularly tutors for Latrobe University on the Physiotherapy Sports/Musculoskeletal Masters Programme. In 2019 she was titled ‘Pain Physiotherapist’ by the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Martina’s main interest is to bridge research findings from pain sciences and behavioural medicine to clinical practice and she continues to do this with her teaching in both German and English.

Durch Ihre manualtherapeutische Arbeit in Physiopraxen in Süddeutschland begann 1995 Martinas Interesse am Neurodynamischen Konzept. Ein Postgraduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy (1996) und ein Masters by Science degree (1999) an der Curtin Universität in Perth, West Australien, sowie Forschung im Bereich der Schmerzphysiologie/Schmerzpsychologie ermöglichten Ihr sich in die Materie zu vertiefen.
Von 1999 bis 2003 hat Martina in einem Kognitiv-Verhaltenstherapeutischen Programm für chronische Schmerzpatienten am Pain Management and Research Centre der Universität Sydney gearbeitet woraus der Kurs ‘Interaktionen mit Problematischen Schmerzpatienten’ entstanden ist den sie über 10 Jahre lang zusammen mit Max Zusman (+2013) unterrichtet hat. Seit ihrer deutschen Uebersetzung des Buches ‘Explain Pain’ hat sie den Kurs ‘Schmerzen verstehen’ für den deutschsprachigen Raum mit entwickelt, den sie seit 2006 regelmässig unterrichtet. Zusätzlich engagiert sie sich bei NOI für die Übersetzung des ‘Protectometers’ und des ‘Graded Motor Imagery’ Programms.
2009 begann Ihre Curriculums- und später Dozententätigkeit in der seit 2014 bestehenden Weiterbildung zur ‘Speziellen Schmerzphysiotherapie’ der Deutschen Schmerzgesellschaft.
Nach 10 Jahren in Basel und München, zog es Martina und ihre Familie zurueck nach Down Under. Seitdem arbeitet Martina im ambulanten Schmerzmanagement Programm Precision Ascend in Melbourne, ausschliesslich mit Arbeits- und Verkehrsunfallpatienten, sowie im Zentrum für Schmerzmanagement am St. Vincent Krankenhaus (Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management). Sie ist Tutorin für Schmerzwissenschaften an der Latrobe Universität. 2019 hat sie von der Australian Physiotherapy Association den Titel “APA titled Pain Physiotherapist” verliehen bekommen.
In ihrem Unterricht versucht Martina immer wieder eine Brücke zwischen Forschungsergebnisse aus den Schmerzwissenschaften und der klinischen Arbeit in multidisziplinären Teams und ambulanten Praxen zu schlagen.

PT, MSc(RHBS), BA-BPHE, C-IAYT, ERYT500

Neil is a guest speaker for Noigroup, presenting a new course in 2024 – Embodiment in Pain Science Education – created in collaboration with Noigroup instructor, Martina Egan.

As a physical therapist, yoga therapist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, Neil teaches in the physiotherapy and pain medicine sub-specialty programs. He is also a consultant to the BC Medical Association, to Lifemark’s 300+ Canadian rehab clinics, and to Pain BC – Canada’s premier non-profit transforming the way pain is understood and treated. Neil is the founding chair of the Physiotherapy Pain Science Division in Canada, recipient of the Canadian Pain Society’s Excellence in Interprofessional Pain Education award, and faculty in four yoga therapist programs.

Neil has authored a patient education eBook Understand Pain Live Well Again (2008), a book chapter ‘Yoga Therapy’ in Thompson and Brooks, Integrative Pain Management (2016), numerous journal articles on yoga and pain including a recent white paper for the International Association of Yoga Therapists Yoga Therapy and Pain: How Yoga Therapy Serves in Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management, and How it Can Do More (2020), and co-authored/edited the textbook Yoga and Science in Pain Care: Treating the Person in Pain (2019).