Effects of Pain Neuroscience Education With Sensory Discrimination Training Among Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT07284407 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: UBAS/ERB/FoRS/25/028
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The current study is a double-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial involving 80 participants with chronic low back pain. The trial will compare a program of Pain Neuroscience Education plus Sensory Discrimination Training and core stability exercises with a program of Pain Neuroscience Education and core stability exercises alone. Interventions will be delivered twice weekly for eight weeks. The primary outcome is pain catastrophizing. Secondary outcomes include kinesiophobia and functional movements. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, 4, and 8 weeks. The trial will be carried out at Nutricao Lahore Clinic and Model Town Hospital, Lahore. The hypothesis is that Pain Neuroscience Education with Sensory Discrimination Training will result in greater reductions in pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia, as well as improvements in functional movements.

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Keywords

Pain Catastrophizing; Kinesiophobia; Functional movements; Neuroscience pain education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Pain Catastrophizing

  Pain catastrophizing refers to a maladaptive cognitive and emotional response to actual or perceived pain. Pain Catastrophizing is measured by the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale is a validated questionnaire used to measure the degree of catastrophic thinking in individuals experiencing pain (Sullivan et al. 1995). The scale consists of 13 items, each representing a different catastrophizing response. For each item, participants rate their experience using a 5-point Likert scale, where 0 = Not at all (the thought or feeling never occurred) and 4 = All the time (the thought or feeling occurred persistently). The total score ranges from 0 to 52, with higher scores indicating greater levels of pain catastrophizing.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Kinesiophobia

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Functional Movements

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Experimental Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the experimental group will receive a 45-minute intervention session consisting of three integrated components (Pain Neuroscience Education, Core Stability Exercises and Graded Sensory Discrimination Training )

Other: Pain Neuroscience Education with Sensory Discrimination Training and Core Stability Exercises

Control group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the control group will receive the same 45-minute sessions consisting of two components (Pain Neuroscience Education and Core Stability Exercises).

Other: Pain Neuroscience Education and Core stability Exercises

Interventions

Pain Neuroscience Education with Sensory Discrimination Training and Core Stability Exercises OTHER

Although both Pain Neuroscience Education and Sensory Discrimination Training have demonstrated potential benefits individually, there is a paucity of research evaluating their combined effects. Integrating cognitive (PNE) and sensorimotor (SDT) approaches may produce synergistic effects, improving pain modulation, functional capacity, and psychological resilience.

Experimental Group

Pain Neuroscience Education and Core stability Exercises OTHER

Participants in the control group will receive the same 45-minute sessions twice per week, but will not receive sensory discrimination training.

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 44 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age: 19 to 44 Both Genders Mechanical low back pain (duration more than 6 months and less than 2 years) \>4/10 Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy or post-partum Trauma Psychological Pain Radicular Pain Cancer, tumor, malignancy Neurological Deficit Recent Surgery \<1year

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain; Kinesiophobia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Back Pain; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Phobic Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• MUHAMMAD TARIQ RAFIQ

  Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

MUHAMMAD SAAD JANJUA

CONTACT

+923167995435; ubs24lmspt023@ubas.edu.pk

MUHAMMAD TARIQ RAFIQ, PhD

CONTACT

tariq.rafiq@ubas.edu.pk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2025
• First Posted: December 16, 2025
• Study Start: December 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2026
• Study Completion: February 1, 2026
• Last Updated: December 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR
• Time Frame: It will be available after the completion of the study.
• Access Criteria: Through the corresponding author.