Pain, stress and thermoregulation

Pain is more than just a physical signal: it is a complex interplay of bio-psycho-social factors. Our research is based on new insights into the further development of physiotherapeutic diagnostics and therapeutic approaches for chronic pain.

The understanding of pain has shifted considerably in recent years. Today, a distinction is made between nociception – the physiological processing of pain-inducing stimuli - and perception – the subjective experience of pain. Perception is closely linked to cortical networks that not only process nociceptive signals, but are also involved in the regulation of stress and anxiety, and in thermoregulation. These neurobiological correlations require a broader perspective in physiotherapeutic diagnostics and therapy, especially in the treatment of patients with chronic pain disorders. We are dedicated to the research of clinical measurement methods that make it possible to quantitatively derive perception, nociception, stress and temperature changes and we develop therapy methods to improve function in patients with chronic pain.

We use the Bern Movement Lab and the Bern Pain & Stress Lab infrastructure for our research.