The "How-To" of Teaching Patients about Pain (Recorded Webinar)
Presented by Adriaan Louw
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This course is a recording of a previously hosted live webinar event. Polling and question submission features are not available for this recording. Format and structure may differ from standard MedBridge courses. In recent years there has been a big interest in teaching people about pain. Growing evidence supports pain neuroscience education (PNE)'s ability to decrease pain, disability, pain catastrophization, fear-avoidance, lack of movement, and dependence on health care. In contrast to the scientific activity, there remains a huge disconnect with clinicians: the clinical application of PNE. This webinar aims to help attendees implement PNE in everyday clinical practice in a variety of settings. The presenter’s clinical research team has conducted and published numerous studies examining the clinical aspects of PNE: Who needs it? What should be taught? When is an optimal time? How should it be delivered? Additionally, the presentation will help attendees with real-life clinical issues such as billing, time management, documentation, the place of exercise, movement, hands-on treatment, and more. There is a growing need in the health care industry for the practical application of PNE. This webinar will teach attendees simple, user-friendly metaphors, drawings, illustrations, and examples which powerfully affect a patient’s beliefs and attitudes regarding their pain. This webinar spans all realms of clinical practice where we aim to help the suffering of people in pain.
Meet your instructor
Adriaan Louw
Adriaan earned his undergraduate degree, master’s degree, and PhD in physiotherapy from Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. He is an adjunct faculty member at St. Ambrose University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, teaching pain science. Adriaan has taught throughout the US and internationally for 25…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. The Patient and the Clinical Dilemma
Treating pain, especially chronic pain, is clinically challenging. This webinar starts where all clinical courses should: with the patient. This chapter will showcase how our current approaches are limited in helping people with chronic pain.
2. The Evolution and Evidence for PNE
This chapter will discuss how PNE evolved out of the challenges presented by the biomedical model of pain treatment. PNE teaches patients about the biology and physiology of their pain experience. There is growing evidence that PNE is very effective in helping people in pain, especially chronic pain.
3. The Neuroscience of Pain: Input Mechanisms
In order to explain to patients more about their pain, the modern clinician must have a fundamental and clinical working knowledge of pain. This chapter will update clinicians on the various nociceptive, environmental, and peripheral neurogenic components associated with a pain experience.
4. The Neuroscience of Pain: Processing and Output Mechanisms
In all pain experiences, the central nervous system and brain become hypervigilant as a means to analyze and protect. Additionally, various biological systems (i.e., sympathetic, motor, endocrine, etc.) may also be activated to protect. In this chapter we will discuss central sensitization, the pain neuromatrix, and various output systems as part of a pain experience.
5. Screening: Who Needs What?
Surely not all patients need PNE. Who needs it? Who needs a “little” and who needs “a lot?” Who should receive PNE in group sessions and who needs individuallly tailored PNE? When is the optimal time for PNE? This area of PNE is growing fast and this chapter will showcase the various screening processes for PNE as well as preparing a patient for PNE.
6. PNE 101
Patients learn best by metaphors, examples, and pictures. This chapter will show attendees a step-by-step process of explaining pain to patients. A metaphor of a sensitive alarm system is used to explain central sensitization and hyperalgesia—all aspects of a pain experience.
7. Place PNE in a Clinic
PNE can only be effective if it can be used and merged into clinical practice. This chapter will delve into clinical issues surrounding billing, documentation, home programs, staff training, etc.
8. Beyond PNE: Motion is Lotion
Education as a stand-alone treatment is not that effective; it must be combined with other behavioral treatments, and no behavioral treatment for people in pain is as powerful as movement. This chapter will show how PNE as a means to educate can help people to move via paced, graded exposure.
9. Beyond PNE: Building a Comprehensive Pain Program
PNE and movement are key components of an effective pain program. Once established, various other clinical tools can be added to develop a comprehensive non-pharmacological treatment plan for people in pain: i.e., sleep hygiene, nutrition, goal setting, etc.
10. Q&A
This is a viewer submitted question and answer session, which will be facilitated by Adriaan Louw.