Pain science and practice as a 'threshold concept' within undergraduate and pre-registration physiotherapy education: a jewel of the curriculum?

BackgroundThreshold concepts describe learning experiences that transform our understanding of a concept. Threshold concepts are variously: troublesome, transformative, irreversible, integrative and bounded.PurposeThe aim of this narrative review is to consider the case for characterising pain science and practice as a threshold concept within undergraduate and pre-registration physiotherapy education.SummaryThis article considers the underlying tenets of threshold concepts as they relate to teaching and learning and the relative merits and limitations of characterising pain science and practice as a threshold concept within undergraduate and pre-registration physiotherapy education from both pedagogical and epidemiological perspectives. By evaluating pain, as it relates to physiotherapy education and practice, according to the five defining characteristics of a threshold concept then presenting data related to the epidemiology and impact of pain, the worthiness of characterising pain science and practice as a threshold concept will be discussed and further debate invited.

Automated summary

This article explores the concept of pain science and practice as a threshold concept in undergraduate and pre-registration physiotherapy education. It discusses the characteristics of threshold concepts and evaluates the merits and limitations of characterizing pain science and practice as such. The article invites further debate on the worthiness of this characterization based on epidemiological data and the impact of pain on physiotherapy education and practice.