Course Description

This online course will teach clinicians to integrate Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) into their clinical practice. Current best evidence has shown that neuroscience educational strategies utilizing neurobiology and neurophysiology can reduce pain, increase function, reduce fear and catastrophization, improve movement and change cognitions, and brain activation in people during pain experiences. This class will cover the evolution of PNE, explain why neuroscience education is needed in physical therapy, and teach the foundations of pain neurobiology and neurophysiology. More importantly, participants will learn how to apply and implement PNE within their practice for patients with acute, sub-acute, and chronic pain.

Target Audience

Healthcare providers.

Objectives

1. Discuss the need for pain neuroscience education in their clinical practice.
2. Identify factors in their current patient population that may contribute to driving a patient toward the fear or recovery pathway in the Fear-Avoidance Model by Vlayen, et al. 
3. Discuss the latest evidence for pain neuroscience education.
4. Identify a clinical scenario in their practice where they had to adjust the level of education to meet the patient/client where they were at and describe how they adjusted their communication. 
5. Describe what they will say to a patient to teach them that pain is an output rather than an input using the Mature Organism Model from Louis Gifford.  
6. Provide an empathetic discussion with a patient/client about how a "threat" or stressor can influence the pain experience when provided with a clinical scenario.
7. Share a brief clinical case scenario of a current or past patient/client in which they believe the issue is/was likely driven by a change in ion channel distribution.
8. Explain to a patient/client the role of ion channels in their pain experience.
9. Explain to a patient/client how/why pain spreads.
10. Explain to a patient/client that tissue issues are only part of their pain experience.
11. Discuss how to safeguard their PNE story/message to ensure their patient/client doesn't conclude that their pain is made up.
12. List potential strategies to implement therapeutic neuroscience into clinic practice regarding time, staff, billing, and traditional treatments.
13. Communicate to their patient/client that pacing and graded exposure is the key to recovery when provided a patient scenario. 
14. Demonstrate the clinical ability to apply pain neuroscience education to clinical practice using at least one metaphor shared in class.

Course Outline

Module 1: Cognitions, Education and Pain and the Evolution and Evidence of TNE

• Video Lectures (2:17 hours)
• Required Readings (2:34 hours)    
• Case Studies and Reflection Writing (3:00 hours)

Module 2: Reconceptualizing Pain – from Nociception to the Pain Neuromatrix

• Video Lectures (2:09 hours)
• Required Readings (0:34 hours)    
• Case Studies and Reflection Writing (3:00 hours)

Module 3: Reconceptualizing Pain and Clinical Reasoning in Pain Science

• Video Lectures (1:40 hours)
• Required Readings (0:26 hours)    
• Case Studies and Reflection Writing (1:00 hour)

Module 4: Teaching People About Pain using Metaphors, Examples and Pictures

• Video Lectures (2:06 hours)
• Required Readings (0:24 hours)    
• Case Studies and Reflection Writing (3:00 hours)

Module 5: Teaching People About Pain and Building it into Clinical Practice

• Video Lectures (2:10 hours)
• Required Readings (0:58 hours)    
• Case Studies and Reflection Writing (3:00 hours)

Module 6: More than Education: Pacing, Graded Exposure and Function

• Video Lectures (2:23 hours)
• Required Readings (0:32 hours)    
• Case Studies and Video Assignment (1:00 hour)

Course Author

Adriaan Louw, PT, PhD

Dr. Louw earned his undergraduate, master’s, and PhD in physiotherapy from the University of Stellenbosch 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. Dr. Louw has taught throughout the US and internationally for 25 years at numerous national and international manual therapy, pain science, and medical conferences. He has authored and co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles related to spinal disorders and pain science. Adriaan completed his PhD in pain neuroscience education and is the Director of the Therapeutic Neuroscience Research Group – an independent collaborative initiative studying pain neuroscience. Dr. Louw is a senior faculty, pain science director, and vice president of faculty experience for Evidence in Motion.