Influence of Baseline Kinesiophobia Levels on Treatment Outcome in People With Chronic Spinal Pain

Pain neuroscience education for patients with chronic pain: A scoping review from teaching-learning strategies, educational level, and cultural perspective

OBJECTIVE

(1) To identify the characteristics of PNE programs in terms of teaching-learning strategies, session modality, content delivery format, number of sessions, total minutes and instructional support material used in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, (2) to describe PNE adaptations for patients with different educational levels or cultural backgrounds, and (3) to describe the influence of the patient's educational level or cultural background on the effects of PNE.

METHODS

The PRISMA guideline for scoping reviews was followed. Nine databases were systematically searched up to July 8, 2023. Articles that examined clinical or psychosocial variables in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain who received PNE were included.

RESULTS

Seventy-one articles were included. Studies found benefits of PNE through passive/active teaching-learning strategies with group/individual sessions. However, PNE programs presented great heterogeneity and adaptations to PNE were poorly reported. Most studies did not consider educational level and culture in the effects of PNE.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the large number of studies on PNE and increased interest in this intervention, the educational level and culture are poorly reported in the studies.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

It is recommended to use passive and/or active teaching-learning strategies provided in individual and/or group formats considering the patient's educational level and culture.

Influence of Preoperative Pain, Cognitions, and Quantitative Sensory Testing Measures on the Effects of Perioperative Pain Neuroscience Education for People Receiving Surgery for Lumbar Radiculopathy: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether preoperative pain intensity, pain cognitions, and quantitative sensory measures influence the established effectiveness of perioperative pain neuroscience education (PPNE) on health-related quality of life at 1 year after surgery for lumbar radiculopathy. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a triple-blinded randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Participants (n = 90) were Dutch-speaking adults (18-65 years) who were scheduled for surgery for lumbar radiculopathy in 3 Belgian hospitals. They were randomized (1:1) to receive PPNE (n = 41) or perioperative biomedical education (n = 49). Linear mixed models were built for health-related quality of life (ie, SF-6D utility values, Physical and Mental Component of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey) using the following independent variables: therapy, time, and preoperative scores for back and leg pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, hypervigilance, and quantitative sensory measures. RESULTS: The impact of PPNE on SF-6D utility values over time was influenced by kinesiophobia (F = 3.30, P = .02) and leg pain intensity (F = 3.48, P = .02). Regardless of the intervention, back pain intensity negatively influenced SF-6D values over time (F = 3.99, P = .009). The Physical Component scores were negatively impacted by back pain intensity (F = 9.08, P = .003) and were influenced over time by leg pain intensity (F = 2.87, P = .04). The Mental Component scores were negatively impacted by back pain intensity (F = 6.64, P = .01) and pain catastrophizing (F = 5.42, P = .02), as well as hypervigilance (F = 3.16, P = .03) and leg pain intensity (F = 3.12, P = .03) over time. CONCLUSION: PPNE may be more effective than perioperative biomedical education in improving postoperative health utility values in patients who reported higher kinesiophobia and leg pain intensity before surgery for lumbar radiculopathy. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(4):1-10. Epub 8 January 2024. doi:10.2519/jospt.2024.12051.

Variables associated with nonresponders to high-frequency (10 kHz) spinal cord stimulation

INTRODUCTION

The use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy to treat chronic pain continues to rise. Optimal patient selection remains one of the most important factors for SCS success. However, despite increased utilization and the existence of general indications, predicting which patients will benefit from neuromodulation remains one of the main challenges for this therapy. Therefore, this study aims to identify the variables that may correlate with nonresponders to high-frequency (10 kHz) SCS to distinguish the subset of patients less likely to benefit from this intervention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective single-center observational study of patients who underwent 10 kHz SCS implant. Patients were divided into nonresponders and responders groups. Demographic data and clinical outcomes were collected at baseline and statistical analysis was performed for all continuous and categorical variables between the two groups to calculate statistically significant differences.

RESULTS

The study population comprised of 237 patients, of which 67.51% were responders and 32.49% were nonresponders. There was a statistically significant difference of high levels of kinesiophobia, high self-perceived disability, greater pain intensity, and clinically relevant pain catastrophizing at baseline in the nonresponders compared to the responders. A few variables deemed potentially relevant, such as age, gender, history of spinal surgery, diabetes, alcohol use, tobacco use, psychiatric illness, and opioid utilization at baseline were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Our study is the first in the neuromodulation literature to raise awareness to the association of high levels of kinesiophobia preoperatively in nonresponders to 10 kHz SCS therapy. We also found statistically significant differences with greater pain intensity, higher self-perceived disability, and clinically relevant pain catastrophizing at baseline in the nonresponders relative to responders. It may be appropriate to screen for these factors preoperatively to identify patients who are less likely to respond to SCS. If these modifiable risk factors are present, it might be prudent to consider a pre-rehabilitation program with pain neuroscience education to address these factors prior to SCS therapy, to enhance successful outcomes in neuromodulation.

Pain neuroscience education for reducing pain and kinesiophobia in patients with chronic neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Chronic neck pain (CNP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is a promising nonpharmacological intervention for CNP, however, its effectiveness remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PNE in treating CNP.

METHODS

Electronic databases from inception to February 2023 were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of PNE on CNP. The primary outcome was the change in pain intensity, and the secondary outcome was improvement in kinesiophobia, standardized using Hedges' g. Two authors independently scrutinized eligible articles, extracted data and assessed quality; a random-effects model was employed for data pooling.

RESULTS

In total, seven RCTs comprising 479 participants were included and demonstrated that PNE significantly reduced pain intensity (Hedges' g = -0.730, 95% CI = -1.340 to -0.119, p = 0.019, I2  = 89.288%). Subgroup analysis revealed that the adult group experienced significant pain reduction after PNE, whereas the adolescent group did not. PNE also reduced kinesiophobia which was evaluated in four of seven RCTs (Hedges' g = -0.444, 95% CI = -0.735 to -0.154, p = 0.003, I2  = 36.822%). The meta-regression analysis indicated that an increased intervention duration contributed to greater pain reduction. No adverse events were reported following PNE or the control treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

PNE effectively reduced pain intensity and kinesiophobia in patients with CNP. A longer PNE time leads to greater pain reduction and is more effective in adults than in adolescents. Further studies are required to examine the long-term effects on CNP management.

SIGNIFICANCE

This is the first meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of treating chronic neck pain with pain neuroscience education. Pain neuroscience education is successful in reducing pain and decreasing kinesiophobia in the chronic neck pain population. Longer treatment time leads to greater pain reduction.

Investigating the brain functional abnormalities underlying pain hypervigilance in chronic neck and shoulder pain: a resting-state fMRI study

PURPOSE

To investigate pain hypervigilance in individuals suffering from chronic neck and shoulder pain (CNSP) and its underlying brain mechanism.

METHODS

The evaluation of pain vigilance was conducted through the utilization of pain vigilance and awareness questionnaires. Voxel-wise regional homogeneity (ReHo) from 60 CNSP patients and 60 healthy controls (HCs) using resting-state fMRI data. Voxel-wise two-sample T-test was conducted to reveal the ReHo variations between CNSP and HC. Correlation analyses were utilized to reveal the connection between brain abnormalities and medical measurements. Furthermore, a mediation analysis was conducted to elucidate the pathway-linking changes in brain function with medical measurements.

RESULTS

Our present study revealed three main findings. Firstly, patients with CSNP demonstrated a heightened vigilance of pain in comparison to healthy adults, a common occurrence among individuals with chronic pain conditions. Secondly, we observed brain abnormalities in various brain regions in CSNP patients, and these alterations were associated with the extent of pain vigilance. Lastly, the pain hypervigilance impact on the severity of pain was found to be controlled by regional neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in subjects with CSNP.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggested that long-term repetitive nociceptive input caused by chronic pain further aggravates the pain intensity by impairing the vigilance-related pain processing within the anterior cingulate cortex in CNSP patients.

Which Psychological and Psychosocial Constructs Are Important to Measure in Future Tendinopathy Clinical Trials? A Modified International Delphi Study With Expert Clinician/Researchers and People With Tendinopathy

OBJECTIVE: To identify which psychological and psychosocial constructs to include in a core outcome set to guide future clinical trials in the tendinopathy field. DESIGN: Modified International Delphi study. METHODS: In 3 online Delphi rounds, we presented 35 psychological and psychosocial constructs to an international panel of 38 clinician/researchers and people with tendinopathy. Using a 9-point Likert scale (1 = not important to include, 9 = critical to include), consensus for construct inclusion required ≥70% of respondents rating "extremely critical to include" (score ≥7) and ≤15% rating "not important to include" (score ≤3). Consensus for exclusion required ≥70% of respondents rating "not important to include" (score ≤3) and ≤15% of rating "critical to include" (score ≥7). RESULTS: Thirty-six participants (95% of 38) completed round 1, 90% (n = 34) completed round 2, and 87% (n = 33) completed round 3. Four constructs were deemed important to include as part of a core outcome set: kinesiophobia (82%, median: 8, interquartile range [IQR]: 1.0), pain beliefs (76%, median: -7, IQR: 1.0), pain-related self-efficacy (71%, median: 7, IQR: 2.0), and fear-avoidance beliefs (73%, median: -7, IQR: 1.0). Six constructs were deemed not important to include: perceived injustice (82%), individual attitudes of family members (74%), social isolation and loneliness (73%), job satisfaction (73%), coping (70%), and educational attainment (70%). Clinician/researchers and people with tendinopathy reached consensus that kinesiophobia, pain beliefs, pain self-efficacy, and fear-avoidance beliefs were important psychological constructs to measure in tendinopathy clinical trials. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(1):1-12. Epub 20 September 2023. doi:10.2519/jospt.2023.11903.

Neural correlates of central pain sensitization in chronic low back pain: a resting-state fMRI study

PURPOSE

The objective of this study is to explore the neural correlates of pain sensitization in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP). While the association between cLBP and pain sensitization has been widely reported, the underlying brain mechanism responsible for this relationship requires further investigation.

METHODS

Our study included 56 cLBP patients and 56 healthy controls (HC). Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained, and the voxel-wise amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was calculated to identify brain alterations in cLBP patients compared to HC groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to explore the association between clinical data and brain alterations. Furthermore, mediation analyses were performed to investigate the path association between brain alterations and pain-related behaviors.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed that patients with cLBP exhibited higher sensitivity, attention, and catastrophizing tendencies towards pain compared to HC. Furthermore, cLBP patients displayed significantly higher ALFF in various brain regions within the "pain matrix" and the default mode network when compared to HC. The altered precuneus ALFF was positively correlated with pain intensity (R = 0.51, P<0.001) and was negatively correlated with pain sensitivity (R = -0.43, P<0.001) in cLBP patients. Importantly, the effect of altered precuneus ALFF on pain intensity was mediated by pain threshold in these patients.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that altered neural activity in the precuneus may contribute to pain hypersensitivity, which further exacerbating pain in cLBP patients.

What are Brazilian orthopaedists' views on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain? A qualitative investigation

BACKGROUND

Orthopaedists are often the first point of contact for patients who present with low back pain (LBP) and chronic LBP in Brazil.

AIM

To explore the views of orthopaedists on therapeutic approaches for chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) with a view to gain insights into aspects of clinical practice considered important to them.

METHODS

A qualitative design underpinned by interpretivism was employed. Participants were (n = 13) orthopaedists with experience in treating patients with CNLBP. Following the pilot interviews, semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed and de-identified. Interview data were thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified. (1) Biophysical aspects are important and predominate, but sometimes their relevance can be unclear; (2) Psychosocial aspects and lifestyle factors influence the therapeutic approach; (3) Treatment of CNLBP - including medication, physical activity, surgery and other invasive procedures and other therapeutic modalities; and (4) Nuances of clinical practice - "it goes beyond medicine".

CONCLUSION

Brazilian orthopaedists value identifying the biophysical cause(s) of chronic low back pain. Psychological factors were often discussed secondary to biophysical aspects, whereas social aspects were rarely mentioned. Orthopaedists highlighted their difficulties in navigating patients' emotions and reassuring patients without referrals to imaging tests. Orthopaedists may benefit from training that targets communication and other relational aspects of care in order to work with people who present with CNLBP.

Deficits in the thalamocortical pathway associated with hypersensitivity to pain in patients with frozen shoulder

Background and purpose

Frozen shoulder (FS) is a chronic pain condition and has been shown to be associated with pain sensitization. However, the underyling brain mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we aimed to explore brain alterations and their association with pain sensitization in patients with FS.

Materials and methods

A total of 54 FS patients and 52 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. Here, we applied both structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate brain abnormalities in FS patients. Voxel-wise comparisons were performed to reveal the differences in the gray matter volume (GMV) and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) between FS patients and HCs. Furthermore, the region of interest (ROI) to whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) was calculated and compared between groups. Finally, Pearson's correlation coefficients were computed to reveal the association between clinical data and brain alterations.

Results

Four main findings were observed: (1) FS patients exhibited decreased thalamus GMV, which correlated with pain intensity and pain threshold; (2) relative to HCs, FS patients exhibited a higher level of ALFF within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the thalamus; (3) FS patients exhibited a significant increase in Tha-S1 FC compared to HCs; and (4) the effect of thalamus GMV on pain intensity was mediated by pain threshold in FS patients.

Conclusion

The dysfunctional thalamus might induce pain hypersensitivity, which further aggravates the pain in FS patients.

Kinesiophobia and associated factors among patients with chronic non-specific low back pain

PURPOSE

This study determined the association between kinesiophobia and age, body mass index, highest educational status, self-efficacy, pain intensity, and disability in chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) patients. Predictors of kinesiophobia were also assessed.

METHODS

This cross-sectional design utilised 224 CNSLBP patients in tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, Oswestry Disability Index, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and Numerical Pain Rating Scale were used to assess kinesiophobia, disability, self-efficacy, and pain intensity respectively. Spearman's correlation and multiple regression analysis determined the association between the variables of interest and the predictors of kinesiophobia, respectively.

RESULTS

Most of the participants reported a high level of kinesiophobia (92%), low level of self-efficacy (68.8%), moderate pain intensity (58.0%), and moderate disability (57.1%). A significant positive weak correlation was observed between kinesiophobia and pain intensity (r = 0.138, p = 0.040). Gender, self-efficacy, pain intensity, and disability significantly predicted the extent of kinesiophobia (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The increased levels of kinesiophobia are a cause for concern and highlight the need for kinesiophobia and related factors to be closely monitored and incorporated into preventive and curative rehabilitation programmes for CNSLBP patients to minimise the negative impact on rehabilitation outcomes.Implications for RehabilitationPatients with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) have high levels of kinesiophobia, which could predispose them to avoidance behaviours, physical inactivity, and deterioration of health, all of which, if not addressed, may result in poor rehabilitation outcomes, setting off a viscious cycle.Regular kinesiophobia assessments could indicate areas of rehabilitation concern, allowing health care providers to better target rehabilitation programs and improve rehabilitation outcomes.Pain severity, self-efficacy, and disability should be frequently assessed and included when planning rehabilitation programs, to reduce the detrimental impact on kinesiophobia.In patients with CNSLBP, graded exposure therapy to movement is necessary to prevent and reduce kinesiophobia, thereby increasing compliance during rehabilitation programs.

Kinesiophobia in People with Multiple Sclerosis and Its Relationship with Physical Activity, Pain and Acceptance of Disease

Background and Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic demyelinating disease. Factors that reduce the occurrence of symptoms include physical activity (PA). However, the data indicate that PA levels among people with MS are lower than those of healthy peers. The cause may be kinesiophobia. The aim of the study was to determine the level of kinesiophobia among people with MS and its relationship with age, disease duration, functional status, PA, and degree of acceptance of the disease. Materials and Methods: Eighty people aged 35−69 were examined: 60 women (75%) and 20 men (25%). The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was used to determine the level of disability (median: 3.50; min−max: 1−6). The research questionnaire consisted of a metric section, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and Modified Baecke Questionnaire for Older Adults for physical activity. Results: Of the respondents, 52.50% were characterized by a high level of kinesiophobia (>37 points). Correlation analysis: TSK and PA showed the following: r = −0.363 (p = 0.001). Regression explains kinesiophobia in 44% (R2 = 0.4364; p < 0.0000). The predictors of TSK were as follows: disability level: p < 0.01, ß = 0.33; disease acceptance: p < 0.01, ß = −0.34; PA: p < 0.05, ß < −0.05. Conclusions: The problem of kinesiophobia is significant in MS patients, and its predictors are the functional status of the patients, low degree of acceptance of the disease, and low level of physical activity. The age and duration of the disease do not determine the problem of fear of movement.