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Updated: Jul 5, 2025
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Can a specific biobehavioral-based therapeutic education program lead to changes in pain perception and brain
Silvia Di Bonaventura1,2,3, Josué Fernández Carnero2,3,4,5, Raúl Ferrer-Peña3,4,5,6
1Escuela Internacional de Doctorado, Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Rey Juan Carlos University, Alcorcón, Spain.
Background:
Chronic pain conditions are complex multifactorial disorders with physical, psychological, and environmental factors contributing to their onset and persistence. Among these conditions, the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the impact of a specific therapeutic education (TE) on pain management have emerged as important areas of research.
Objective:
This study aims to investigate the effects of a specific type of therapeutic education on pain levels and BDNF concentrations.
Methods:
In this single-blind, randomized clinical trial, patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one will receive exercise with TE and the other without TE. Assessments will be made at baseline, mid-treatment, post-intervention, and at one and eight months.
Outcomes:
This study will shed light on the effectiveness of a therapeutic education (TE) program in pain management. Additionally, it will provide information on its effects on BDNF levels, a biomarker of brain plasticity, as well as on various psychosocial variables that can influence pain experience.
Conclusion:
By comprehensively addressing the need to quantify brain changes more precisely in individuals with chronic pain during interventions like TE and recognizing the importance of establishing a more structured and comprehensive protocol, this study lays a solid and replicable foundation for future evidence-based treatment developments.
