Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026
Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
Published on: October 3, 2020
Pain Neuroscience Education Versus Traditional Pain Education on Pain Attitudes and Beliefs of Physiotherapy
1Department of Physiotherapy, Vocational School of Health Services, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye.
Background And Purpose:
Pain attitudes and beliefs of healthcare professionals play a crucial role in shaping treatment behaviors in pain management. Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) frames pain as an output under the influence of biopsychosocial factors, rather than as a direct marker of tissue damage. This study aimed to compare the effects of PNE and traditional pain education on pain-related beliefs and attitudes in Turkish physiotherapy assistant (PTA) students.
Methods:
Forty-one students were randomly assigned to either a PNE group (n = 20) or a traditional education group (n = 21). Both groups received a single 70-min lecture. Beliefs and attitudes were assessed at baseline, post-education, and 3-month follow-up using the Health Care Pain Attitudes and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) and the Pain Beliefs Questionnaire (PBQ), which includes Organic and Psychological subscales.
Results:
The Generalized Linear Model analyses revealed a significant main effect of group on HC-PAIRS and PBQ-Organic scores (p < 0.001). However, no statistically significant group × time interaction (HC-PAIRS: p = 0.593; PBQ-Organic: p = 0.119) or main effect of time (HC-PAIRS: p = 0.068; PBQ-Organic: p = 0.524) was observed. Between-group differences were observed at the immediate post-education time point, with lower HC-PAIRS and PBQ-Organic scores in the PNE group compared with the control group (p < 0.001). At the 3-month follow-up, these differences were attenuated and no longer significant (p > 0.05).
Discussion:
This randomized controlled trial adds to the literature by directly comparing a PNE-based lecture with traditional pain education, delivered within the same curricular setting under routine PTA program conditions. Although an immediate post-education separation favored PNE, the primary group × time interaction was not statistically significant; therefore, post-education between-group differences should be interpreted as short-term separation rather than divergent longitudinal trajectories. The between-group difference attenuated at follow-up, suggesting that curricular reinforcement may be worth evaluating.
Trial Registration:
Study registration: NCT07005778.
