Episodes
Sept. 28, 2025
Chronic Pain Needs Shared Expertise—not a Hero Clinician
Rethinking pain changes outcomes. Treating tissues alone leaves people behind.
Sept. 21, 2025
“We Believe You”: The Moment That Changed Chronic Pain Care
The pivotal power of “We believe you” in the clinic
Sept. 14, 2025
From Fighting Pain to Living Well: Joletta Belton’s Shift
This episode features Joletta Belton, a former firefighter who shares how years of battling hip pain left her life small—and how shifting to acceptance, values, and self-compassion helped her build a bigger life around pain. The conversation highlights practical strategies for clinicians, including…
Sept. 7, 2025
Beyond Kindness: Compassion Skills That Improve Pain Outcomes
Compassion is not just being “nice”—it’s a clinical superpower. Learn how inner compassion can transform both patient care and your resilience as a clinician. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • Why compassion is a contextua...
Aug. 24, 2025
Fighting Pain Made It Worse — Here's What Finally Worked
Fighting pain made things worse. Acceptance gave him his life back.
Aug. 10, 2025
Brain vs Body? How Emotions Shape Pain – With Dr. Mark Lumley
Most chronic pain care ignores one of the most powerful drivers of symptoms: our emotions. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mark Lumley, a leading researcher in Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), to explore how unprocessed emotions, trauma, and life stressors can directly influe…
July 27, 2025
Why We Need a Revolution in Pain Care (And How You Can Lead It)
Are you tired of surface-level solutions in pain care? In this episode, Mark Kargela pulls back the curtain on the massive gap in pain programming and why our current clinical education models are failing both patients and pr...
July 6, 2025
Why AI Can’t Replace Human Care in Chronic Pain
As AI continues to evolve and integrate into more areas of healthcare, many clinicians are asking: will we be replaced? In this episode, Mark Kargela and Ben Whybrow have a frank conversation about how AI is affecting clinica...
June 22, 2025
Escaping the Medical Merry-Go-Round of Chronic Pain
Many patients are doing something about their pain—but they’re still not living the life they want. In this episode of The Modern Pain Podcast, Dr. Mark Kargela breaks down how to help patients zoom out and reflect on whether their care is truly moving them toward what matters most—or just keeping …
June 8, 2025
Why Your Inner Critic is Lying to You (And How to Take Action Anyway)
Struggling with self-doubt and distraction? In this episode of Modern Pain Podcast, I share the honest journey of overcoming procrastination, imposter thoughts, and finally creating something that matters.
May 25, 2025
Whole Person Physical Therapy Is Here | Matt Erb on Mindbody Integration
Send us a text Pain Practice OS Waiting List Matt Erb returns to the show for an insightful and wide-ranging conversation on the future of physical therapy. We cover the limitations of the biopsychosocial model, practical mindbody strategies, billing within the system, trauma-informed care, and how…
May 18, 2025
From Telling to Guiding – Transforming Patient Communication
Send us a text In this episode, I sit down with Ben Whybrow, a pain specialist physio in the UK and new community manager for Modern Pain Care, to discuss the critical role of communication in modern healthcare. We break down why the traditional, paternalistic approach to patient interaction falls …
May 11, 2025
Breaking Healthcare Silos: Rethinking Physical Therapy and Chronic Pain Care
Send us a text In this episode, I sit down with Cameron Faller, co-founder of the Institute of Contextual Health, to discuss the future of healthcare. We explore the challenges of traditional, siloed care models and why a more interconnected, person-centered approach is essential for better patient…
April 27, 2025
Out-Value, Not Out-Volume: Ethical Sales in Modern Rehab
In today’s episode, we tackle one of the biggest tensions modern clinicians face: How do you keep your schedule full and patients engaged without fear-mongering or overselling? I share how to reframe “sales” from manipulation...
April 20, 2025
Creative Hopelessness in Chronic Pain: Why More of the Same Isn’t Working
What if more treatment isn’t the answer? In this episode, we explore Creative Hopelessness—an ACT-based exercise that helps patients with persistent pain reflect on the real impact of their symptom management strategies. You’...
April 6, 2025
Neuropathic Pain Made Simple: What Every Clinician Should Know
🎙️ Have you ever treated someone with what seemed like a typical MSK problem—but the pain just didn’t add up? Burning, zinging, unpredictable symptoms? In this episode, Mark Kargela breaks down the clinical presentation of ne...
March 30, 2025
Whiplash Isn’t Just Neck Pain: What Clinicians Are Missing
🎙️ Is whiplash just a musculoskeletal issue—or are we missing something bigger? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Annina Schmid and Dr. Joel Fundaun—two of the world’s leading researchers on nerve involvement in whiplash. The...
March 23, 2025
Building a Personal Brand in Healthcare | Tom Walters Shares How
🎙️ In this episode of The Modern Pain Podcast, Mark Kargela chats with Tom Walters, DPT—founder of Rehab Science, educator, and digital health innovator. Tom shares how he transitioned from a traditional orthopedic physical t...
March 16, 2025
Pelvic Health, Outdated Pain Care & Empowering Patients | Sandy Hilton Interview
🚨 In this episode of The Modern Pain Podcast, Mark Kargela interviews Sandy Hilton, a pioneering physical therapist and expert in pelvic health and pain care. 🚨 Sandy shares her fascinating journey from treating loggers in Or...
March 9, 2025
She Escaped Chronic Pain—Then Long COVID Changed Everything
Participate in our research study Amy's 1st Episode ✅ Ever battled with chronic pain or long COVID symptoms? Discover Amy Eicher's remarkable journey from being dismissed and misdiagnosed to becoming her own best advocate. In...
Feb. 24, 2025
Embracing the Uncertain: Shifting from Tools to Values in Pain Care
In this episode of the Modern Pain Podcast, host Mark Kargela challenges clinicians to rethink their approach to pain treatment. He discusses how the pursuit of certainty can lead practitioners to rely too heavily on specific...
Feb. 2, 2025
Finding the Balance: Integrating Biomechanics and Psychology in Modern Pain Care
In this episode of the Modern Pain Podcast, host Mark Kargela discusses the evolution of pain treatment from a solely biomechanical model to a more holistic biopsychosocial approach. Initially rooted in biomechanics, Mark sha...
Jan. 13, 2025
From Frustration to Transformation: Becoming a Leader in Pain Management
In this episode of the Modern Pain Podcast, join Mark Kargela as he discusses the challenges in pain care and the gaps in clinician education. Discover how to provide psychologically informed care and learn about a new compre...
Dec. 29, 2024
Transforming Illness Care: Solutions for Persistent Pain
In this episode of the Modern Pain Podcast, host Mark Kargela sits down with Jim Stark, an insightful and experienced physical therapist with over 30 years in the field. Jim discusses the limitations of our current 'illness c...