Pallavi Shinde leads the way in pain therapy

September is Pain Awareness Month, and Pallavi Shinde, System Health Solutions’ (SHS) first therapeutic pain specialist, serves as a powerful example of how education, empathy and innovation can transform lives.

With 15 years of experience as a physical therapist, including eight at IU Health, Shinde brings a specialized focus to treating chronic pain, pelvic health and orthopedic diagnoses. After joining SHS in 2022, she completed the Therapeutic Pain Specialization program. “I encountered many chronic pain patients that were challenging, and I felt there was a knowledge gap,” she says.

The program introduced her to pain neuroscience education, a method that helps patients understand what drives their pain and retrains the nervous system to associate movement with safety. “One of the harder aspects of my approach is challenging beliefs and mindsets regarding pain,” Shinde says. “It’s also rewarding when patients allow me to shift their mindset and see them having successful outcomes.”

Shinde is now enrolled in the Fellowship in Pain Sciences through Evidence In Motion, a post-professional education provider, working alongside leading pain researchers and educators and bringing that knowledge back to her patients.

“I could provide a ‘million’ positive patient survey comments about the profound impact Pallavi is having in her patients’ lives,” says Sarah Chambers, Shinde's supervisor.

If you or someone you know is living with chronic pain, learn more about how IU Health’s Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation services can help.