Does Adding a Pain Education Program to Standard Physiotherapy Care Improve Outcomes for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain?

A recent randomized controlled trial found that adding a pain education program to standard physiotherapy care reduced pain intensity and disability for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Participants receiving the combined intervention also showed improvements in overall well-being compared to those receiving physiotherapy alone.

CLBP is a major global cause of disability, and there is increasing interest in psychological strategies such as pain education to offer patients relief. Pain education aims to reshape patients’ pain beliefs and reduce the perceived threat of pain, potentially improving therapeutic outcomes. This study investigated whether integrating pain education into standard care could enhance pain relief, reduce disability, and improve self-efficacy and quality of life in patients with CLBP.

In total, 92 patients with CLBP were enrolled in a two-arm, parallel randomized clinical trial and assigned to either a standard physiotherapy care group or a group receiving physiotherapy plus a pain education program. Both groups completed a 6-week intervention. Pain intensity, disability, self-efficacy, and well-being were measured before and after the intervention using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), general self-efficacy scale, and WHO 5I well-being index, respectively.

After 6 weeks, the pain education group experienced a significant reduction in disability (mean difference = 8.2, P < .001, Cohen d = 0.75) and pain intensity (mean difference = 3.5, P < 0.001, Cohen d = 0.82) compared with the standard care group. Improvements in well-being were also observed in the pain education group (mean difference = 13.7, P < .001, Cohen d = 0.58).

“In conclusion, the clinical benefits of pain education become apparent when delivered in conjunction with standard care physiotherapy during the management of chronic low back pain,” the study authors noted.

Reference

Sidiq M, Muzaffar T, Janakiraman B, et al. Effects of pain education on disability, pain, quality of life, and self-efficacy in chronic low back pain. PLoS One. 2024;19(5):e0294302. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0294302