Science has come a long way in helping individuals understand the experience of pain. Previously, pain was believed to be a result of a purely physical or anatomical issue, stemming from injury, illness or tissue damage.

Fortunately, a newer understanding of how pain works — pain science — takes a far more complex and nuanced view. Pain science moves away from the idea that tissue damage alone equates to pain. Rather, pain science suggests that the whole sum of a person — including biological, social and psychological factors — must be taken into account in order to fully understand their pain experience.

Welcome to PMR on Point, a PM&R newsletter, which taps the brainpower of our clinicians, scientists and alumni to highlight our specialty from every angle.

Pathways.org—now part of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab—has been a leading resource in early detection and intervention of children’s development.

The goal of this project is to develop an automated, precise, quantitative biobehavioral assay for detecting infants at risk, and then rigorously test an early-life intervention to promote typical motor movement and sensory development in those infants in a manner designed for uptake and dissemination.