Pain neuroscience education implementation during COVID-19 pandemics

• Main Author: Rodrigues, Christiane Lima
• Publication Date: 2021
• Format: Master thesis
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/33309
• topic: Education; Neuroscience; Pain; Telehealth

Background: Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that can be classified as acute and chronic, and as nociceptive (non-neural tissue is damaged or threatened to be damage), neuropathic (caused when the somatosensory nervous system is injured or have a disease), and nociplastic (arising from altered nociception). Pain neuroscience education (PNE) aims on improving patient’s knowledge of neurophysiology and processes of pain, focusing on its biopsychosocial aspects and their influence on pain management. The Covid-19 pandemics highlighted the importance of telehealth on treating patient with chronic pain, while avoiding unnecessary contact during restrictive periods. Purpose: This study aims to describe the effects of a PNE program delivered by telehealth (telePNE) during the Covid-19 pandemics. Design: Case seriesSetting: Physiotherapy outpatient clinical setting in Aveiro, Portugal. Subjects: 6 chronic pain patients. 4 women and 2 men. Intervention: Pain neuroscience education, delivered in 4 individual sessions of synchronous telehealth via Zoom application. Results: After telePNE, 5 patients reported a PGIC value of 5 or above, which is considered as clinical improvement. A score above the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) was observed in 4 patients for NPQ, in 1 patient for PCS, and 1 patient had a decrease on TSK from moderate to mild. A Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) was found for PDI in 3 patients. Five patients expressed willingness to pay for this telePNE. Conclusion: This case series suggests that the implementation of telePNE in musculoskeletal chronic pain patients, in addition to manual therapy, may promote patient’s perception of clinical improvement. However, further studies are needed to clarify its isolated specific clinical effects