He also serves as the current Treasurer of the Australian Pain Society and the OPEN content manager. Over the past two decades, he has worked extensively in interdisciplinary pain management, with roles in leading pain services such as the Michael J. Cousins Pain Management and Research Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, and the INPUT Pain Management Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He has also held specialist positions within the NHS and British Military, with a strong focus on musculoskeletal and pain rehabilitation.
Oguchi M, Nicholas MK, Asghari A, Sanders D, Wrigley PJ. Psychologically based interventions for adults with chronic neuropathic pain: a scoping review. Pain Med. 2024;25(6):400–414.
This scoping review maps the existing literature on psychologically based interventions for adults living with chronic neuropathic pain. It identifies a range of therapies—including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based interventions—and assesses the consistency and quality of outcomes reported across studies. The review highlights significant gaps in the evidence base, especially in relation to long-term outcomes, intervention fidelity, and the inclusion of diverse populations. It provides a framework for future clinical research and underscores the need for tailored, psychologically informed approaches in managing neuropathic pain.
McIlroy N, Rabey M, Hush J, Sanders D, Dube T, Middleditch A. Is low intensity exercise sufficient to induce exercise-induced pain threshold modulation in people with persistent pain? Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2022;62:102643.
This study investigated whether low-intensity exercise could trigger hypoalgesic effects—commonly referred to as exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH)—in individuals with persistent pain. The findings suggest that even low-intensity physical activity may be sufficient to increase pain thresholds in this population, supporting its inclusion as a safe and accessible strategy in pain rehabilitation programmes.
Sanders D, Colloca L, Finniss DG. Influence of placebo analgesia in pharmacological treatment of pain. Future Drug Discov. 2020;2(2):FDD34.
This paper explores how placebo mechanisms can enhance or interfere with the pharmacological treatment of pain. It discusses the ethical, neurobiological and clinical implications of placebo responses, arguing for their strategic use in pain management. The authors call for greater integration of placebo science into drug development and clinical practice to improve therapeutic outcomes.
Sanders D, Krause K, O’Muircheartaigh J, Thacker M, Huggins JP, Vennart W, et al. Pharmacologic modulation of hand pain in osteoarthritis: a double-blind placebo-controlled functional magnetic resonance imaging study using naproxen. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015;67(3):741–751.
Evaluates how medication alters brain activity and pain perception in osteoarthritis patients, using fMRI to demonstrate modulation of nociceptive pathways.
Howard MA, Sanders D, Krause K, O’Muircheartaigh J, Fotopoulou A, et al. Alterations in resting-state regional cerebral blood flow demonstrate ongoing pain in osteoarthritis: an arterial spin-labelled MRI study. Arthritis Rheum. 2012;64(12):3936–3946.
Identifies persistent brain perfusion changes in chronic OA pain sufferers at rest, supporting the central nervous system’s role in ongoing pain.
