Effectiveness of Pain Neuroscience Education Compared to a Conventional Education for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT04179708 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 2018_792019-A01260-57
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 88
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The hypothesis is that pain biology education, combined with a rehabilitation program, reduces disability to 3 months, compared to conventional spinal physiology education.

Conditions

Chronic Low-back Pain

Keywords

Therapeutic Patient Education; Chronic Low Back Pain; Chronic Pain; Pain Neuroscience Education; Pain Neurophysiology Education; Pain biology education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Functional disability level (Rolland Morris questionnaire).

  At 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Pain rating (Numeric scale)

  at baseline (pre intervention), at 5 days (post intervention), at 3 months and at 1 year

• Functional disability level (Rolland Morris questionnaire)

  at baseline (pre intervention), at 5 days (post intervention) and at 1 year

• Functional disability level (Dallas questionnaire)

  at baseline (pre intervention), at 5 days (post intervention), at 3 months and at 1 year

• Negatives believes level (Fear Avoidance and Belief Questionnaire)

  at baseline (pre intervention), at 5 days (post intervention), at 3 months and at 1 year

• Catastrophism level (Pain Catastrophizing Questionnaire)

  at baseline (pre intervention), at 5 days (post intervention), at 3 months and at 1 year

Study Arms (2)

pain neuroscience education

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Pain Neuroscience Education; Other: Conventional education

Conventional education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

patient receiving a "classical" education on spinal physiology and ergonomics

Other: Conventional education

Interventions

Pain Neuroscience Education OTHER

Intervention description Patients participate in a back school program including initial and final assessment, educational activities and therapeutic activities (eg. Physiotherapy, balneotherapy, physical activity, spine ergonomics, and so on) spread over 5 days. The therapeutic activities are the same in experimental and control group, only the educational activities differ. The educational activities represent 4 hours of intervention, ½ hours of educative initial assessment and ½ hour of educative final assessment. The content of Pain Neuroscience Education (experimental group) focuses on deconstruction of patho-anatomical and biomechanical believes, and the explanation of pain from the biology. This framework allows the introduction of coping strategies (eg gradual exposure to exercise, activity and physical activity) and regulation strategy (eg fragmentation of activity, stress management, and so on).

pain neuroscience education

Conventional education OTHER

assessment, educational activities and therapeutic activities (eg. Physiotherapy, balneotherapy, physical activity, spine ergonomics, and so on) spread over 5 days. The therapeutic activities are the same in experimental and control group, only the educational activities differ. The educational activities represent 4 hours of intervention, ½ hour of educative initial assessment and ½ hour of educative final assessment. The content of conventional education (control grou) focuses on patho-anatomical and biomechanical notions. This framework allows the introduction of protection strategies (eg education on good posture, good handling techniques, physical activity and therapeutic exercise in stretch and strenghten the spine in order to protect it).

Conventional education; pain neuroscience education

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Low Back Pain since more than 1 year
• Affiliated to Social Security Scheme
• Rolland Moris ≥ 8
• Start Back ≥ 4

You may not qualify if:

• Suspicion or proven case of serious pathology such as recent vertebral fracture (less than 6 months), infection, malignant tumors and / or radiculopathy.
• Have a history of rheumatic inflammatory disease
• Have a true radiculalgia (with or without radiculopathy)
• Have a scoliosis \> 30° (if it is considered as a predominant contributor of pain's persistence).
• Rating of pain \> 8/10
• Have had lumbar surgery in the past 12 months
• Have had an injection in the past 3 months
• Patients under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship)
• Pregnant patients
• Patients who are not able to understand, read or speak french
• Inability to receive informed information

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Lille: lead
• Société Française de Physiothérapie (SFP).: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Hop Swynghedauw

Lille, 59000, France

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Adenis N, Wieczorek V, Corbinau S, Mortain L, Thevenon A. Pain neuroscience education is not superior to spinal physiology and ergonomics education within a short multidisciplinary rehabilitation program: A randomized controlled trial. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2024 Nov;74:103176. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2024.103176. Epub 2024 Sep 5.

  PMID: 39260006 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Valérie Wieczorek, MD,PhD

  University Hospital, Lille

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 25, 2019
• First Posted: November 27, 2019
• Study Start: January 6, 2020
• Primary Completion: February 10, 2024
• Study Completion: February 10, 2024
• Last Updated: December 23, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

FR (1)