Pain Neuroscience Education for Physical Therapy Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pain Management
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Physical therapy curricula may lack comprehensive pain education.
• Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) offers a framework for understanding psychosocial influences on chronic pain.
• PNE is a promising intervention for chronic pain management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a single PNE lecture on Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students' understanding of chronic pain.
• To assess the retention and application of PNE concepts by DPT students.

Main Methods:

• Administered the Neuroscience Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) and Health Care Providers Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-Pairs) pre- and post-lecture.
• DPT students completed the NPQ at 6-month follow-up and responded to case vignettes to assess knowledge application.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in NPQ (pain knowledge) and HC-Pairs (attitudes/beliefs) scores post-lecture.
• DPT students demonstrated the ability to apply PNE principles to clinical scenarios.
• Knowledge gained from the PNE lecture was retained by DPT students at the 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• A single PNE lecture can effectively enhance students' knowledge and attitudes regarding chronic pain.
• PNE education is retained and applicable in clinical practice by future physical therapists.
• Integrating PNE into physical therapy education is recommended for improved chronic pain management.