A Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist (awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2005), he is internationally renowned for his work in complex musculoskeletal pain disorders. He has authored over 350 peer‑reviewed papers, numerous book chapters, and delivered keynote presentations at more than 150 national and international conferences.
A leading voice in clinical innovation, Prof. O’Sullivan developed Cognitive Functional Therapy, a patient‑centred, biopsychosocial approach proven effective for chronic low back pain. He splits his time between academia and clinical practice at Body Logic Physiotherapy, where he continues to translate research into real‑world care mission: empowering clinicians and patients through enhanced understanding, evidence‑based strategies, and compassionate care.
Kent P, Haines T, O’Sullivan P, Smith A, Campbell A. Cognitive functional therapy with or without movement sensor biofeedback versus usual care for chronic, disabling low back pain (RESTORE): a randomised, controlled, three-arm, parallel group, phase 3 clinical trial. Lancet. 2023;401(10391):1866–1877.
This paper reports on a large multi-centre randomised controlled trial of person-centred care (Cognitive Functional Therapy) compared to usual care, for people with chronic disabling low back pain. This trial demonstrated that Cognitive Functional Therapy resulted on large and sustained clinical outcomes over usual care with large reductions in costs. These findings provide hope for people living with chronic low back pain that they can learn to effectively self-manage their condition.
Slater H, Jordan JE, O’Sullivan PB, Schütze R, Goucke R, Chua J, et al. “Listen to me, learn from me”: a priority setting partnership for shaping interdisciplinary pain training to strengthen chronic pain care. Pain. 2022;163(11):e1145–e1163.
This paper explored the care-seeking priorities of people living with chronic pain and carers and how these can shape interdisciplinary workforce training to improve high-value pain care. The “listen to me, learn from me” framework of 44 empirically-derived pain care priorities reflected strong multistakeholder consensus for what is most important to Australian people living with chronic pain and those supporting them, when seeking pain care. This framework underpins the OPEN pain training, ensuring that our training efforts remain faithfully focused on supporting person-centred pain care.
O’Sullivan PB, Caneiro JP, O’Keeffe M, Smith A. Cognitive functional therapy: an integrated behavioral approach for the targeted management of disabling low back pain. Phys Ther. 2018;98(5):408–423.
This paper presents Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) as a personalized, evidence-informed behavioral approach for managing disabling low back pain. It integrates cognitive, movement, and lifestyle components, aiming to target unhelpful beliefs, behaviors, and coping strategies. CFT emphasizes patient-centered care, active self-management, and functional restoration. The approach is grounded in contemporary pain science and aims to reduce disability by addressing the multidimensional nature of pain.
Lin I, Waller R, Wiles L, Maher C, Nagree Y, Gibberd N, Goucke R, O’Sullivan P. What does best practice care for musculoskeletal pain look like? Eleven consistent recommendations from high quality clinical practice guidelines: systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Mar 2.
This systematic review identifies 11 consistent, evidence-based recommendations for managing musculoskeletal (MSK) pain across high-quality clinical practice guidelines. Key themes include patient-centered care, clear communication, risk screening, and minimizing unnecessary imaging and medication. Emphasis is placed on education, physical activity, and supporting self-management. The review provides a unified foundation to inform policy, practice, and education in MSK care.
