Chronic pain is often minimized, misdiagnosed, and disregarded. Many patients become frustrated and begin to believe that chronic pain will always control their lives. Chronic pain is now understood to be a condition in and of itself and is identified as a disorder of the nervous system often triggered by an injury or traumatic event.
The specialized field of physical therapy called Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) aims to help patients understand more about ‘how pain works’ and acknowledges that pain is personal, complex and multifactorial. This approach embraces the biopsychosocial model of pain verses the outdated biomechanical model of pain.
PNE physical therapy provides patients with realistic tools and techniques that can help manage pain. Over time, PNE will empower you to reduce your pain intensity and frequency, improve your quality of life and increase your mobility.
PNE will help:
- Decrease pain by improving understanding of “how pain works”
- Decrease disability by improving confidence in movement
- Improve mobility and function with graded activity pacing
- Improve tolerance to rehabilitation
- Decrease nervous system sensitivity by resolving fear and addressing misconceptions regarding pain.
Interventions may Include:
- Education regarding “how pain works”
- Developing an understanding of the difference between acute pain and chronic pain
- Identifying and neutralizing personal triggers for pain flares
- Pacing of activities
- Graded exposure to pain provoking positions and/or movements
- Ergonomic modifications
- Mindfulness training / biofeedback
- Implementing graded aerobic exercise
- Developing coping skills and self efficacy
- Improving sleep hygiene
- Soft tissue and joint mobilization
- Stabilization and resistance training
- Graded motor imagery
- Stretches, movement and body awareness
