2011 Systematic Review on Pain Education!
Reference:Louw A, et al The effect of neuroscience education on pain, disability, anxiety, and stress in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011 Dec;92(12):2041-56.
Two of my greatest heroes in the PT world are Lorimer Mosely and David Butler. They have long proposed that pain education can be one of the most valuable things we can offer to patients in pain. Their book, posters and audio CD Explain Pain are probably the best resource for neuroscience education.
This systematic review evaluated the evidence for the effectiveness of neuroscience education (NE) for pain, disability, anxiety, and stress in chronic musculoskeletal pain
The 8 high quality RCTs provided compelling evidence that NE is “…effective in reducing pain ratings, increasing function, addressing catastrophization, and improving movement in chronic MSK pain.”
Clinical Relevance: If you don’t have the posters or the book Explain Pain, get them for the clinic. They are great educational tools for some patients.
The Pain Truth book is a much simpler educational tool that is meant to be a quick read.
The iPain101 app is available for free for the next few weeks (untile Jan 2013) so please download it and inform your patients of the app. There is certainly evidence to support the value of pain education in those with persistent pain.
Posted on: December 16, 2012
Categories: Fascinating Pain Studies , Relevant Physical Therapy Articles
