“How can an app possibly help with physical pain?” – experiences of using the Curable app for chronic pain

Pain management apps are gaining popularity for providing timely, accessible care. However, digital health intervention research is still in its infancy, with a limited understanding of how users experience and make meaning of these tools. This study explores users' experiences with the Curable app, considering its impact and the influence of contextual factors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online with 12 Curable app users for chronic pain. Transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis through a critical realist lens. Five themes were conceptualised: 1) The space between, as participants navigate a paradoxical space where trust coexists with scepticism and desperation with hope in a delicate balance. 2) Tin Man and the Invisible Women, follows the participants’ journeys towards the Curable app, navigating systemic biases and cultural norms. 3) It Takes a Village, highlights the "village" of people, resources and modalities participants needed for effective pain care, beyond a solely biomedical approach. 4) Enjoy Being in the Process of Becoming, follows participants' interoceptive journey as they reconnect with the present moment, finding peace with their pain. 5) Fiend to Friend; a story of neuroplasticity, illustrates a shift in participants' fearful and combative relationship with pain towards a more conscious and compassionate companionship. The Curable app helped to fill gaps in existing care, illustrating the potential of digital tools when woven into broader ecosystems of support. However, as with all qualitative inquiry, these findings are situated and partial, reflecting the perspectives of well-educated, cisgender, English-speaking participants who chose to engage with this research.