Date of Award

5-1-2022

Degree Type

DPT Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Advisor

Bryan Boyea

Abstract

Objectives: Chronic neck pain, or neck pain that endures for longer than three months, is a very common musculoskeletal condition that affects a large number of individuals annually. Traditional physical therapy interventions used to treat this condition often include manual therapy techniques and neck specific exercises. Pain neuroscience education, which focuses on the pathophysiology of pain, is a method used to treat chronic pain conditions. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine whether the addition of pain neuroscience education techniques to traditional physical therapy interventions improves patient outcomes in those with chronic neck pain.

Methods: An electronic search for relevant articles was conducted using various databases. Outcome measures of interest included the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia and Neck Disability Index. Articles that met inclusion criteria were screened, analyzed, and assessed using the PEDro Scale.

Results: The results yielded 2,304 total articles, of which 10 were assessed for eligibility and 6 articles were qualitatively analyzed. Significant improvements were noted in neck disability and kinesiophobia when pain neuroscience education techniques were used in conjunction with traditional physical therapy interventions.

Conclusions: Two high-quality articles and one medium-quality article suggest pain neuroscience education reduces kinesiophobia. Additionally, one high-quality article and one medium-quality article suggest pain neuroscience education reduces perceived disability.

Impact statement: The addition of pain neuroscience education techniques with traditional physical therapy interventions can improve neck disability and reduce fearful movement.

Download

Share

COinS