Pain Neuroscience Education for the Management of Chronic Pain in Elite Volleyball Players With Chronic Shoulder Pain

NCT07393347 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: valleybollPNE
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled study investigated the effects of pain neuroscience education (PNE) on pain intensity, pain knowledge, and pain catastrophizing in elite volleyball players with chronic shoulder pain. Participants were assigned to either a PNE group or a control group, both continuing regular sports training, while the PNE group additionally received six weeks of structured education sessions.

Conditions

Pain Management; Sport Injuries; Volleyball Player

Keywords

pain neuroscience education; volleybal player; shoulder pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Visual analog scale

  The Visual Analog Scale is a unidimensional tool used to assess pain intensity. Participants rate their perceived pain by marking a point on a 10-cm (or 100-mm) horizontal line, with higher scores indicating greater pain intensity.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks"

• Revised Pain Neurophysiology Questionnaire (R-PNQ)

  Revised Pain Neurophysiology Questionnaire (R-PNQ) The R-PNQ is a 12-item questionnaire designed to assess individuals' knowledge of the biology and physiology of pain based on contemporary pain science. Each item is answered as true, false, or undecided. Correct responses are scored as one point, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating greater pain neurophysiology knowledge. A validated Turkish version of the questionnaire was used.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks

• Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)

  The PCS is a 13-item self-report questionnaire used to evaluate maladaptive cognitive and emotional responses to pain. It consists of three subscales: rumination, magnification, and helplessness. Higher scores reflect greater levels of pain catastrophizing

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Pain Neuroscience group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to this arm received pain neuroscience education (PNE) in addition to their regular sports training program. The PNE intervention was delivered over six weeks, with two sessions per week, each lasting approximately 45 minutes, and focused on the neurobiology and neurophysiology of pain, pain mechanisms, and the relationship between pain and tissue damage.

Other: Pain neuroscience education

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group continued their regular sports training programs throughout the study period and did not receive pain neuroscience education or any additional educational or therapeutic intervention related to pain management.

Interventions

Pain neuroscience education OTHER

Pain Neuroscience Education is an educational intervention aimed at improving individuals' understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying pain. The education focuses on contemporary pain science concepts, including the role of the central nervous system, pain modulation, central sensitization, and the distinction between tissue damage and pain perception. The PNE program was delivered through structured sessions using verbal explanations, visual materials, metaphors, and examples relevant to daily life and sports activities. The content emphasized that pain is a protective output of the nervous system rather than a direct indicator of tissue injury, and that psychological, cognitive, and contextual factors can influence pain intensity and persistence. Participants were encouraged to reconceptualize pain, reduce maladaptive beliefs and fear related to movement, and develop a more adaptive understanding of their pain experience. The education was tailored to elite volley

Pain Neuroscience group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Being an elite volleyball player actively competing in a professional club
• Experiencing shoulder and/or arm pain for at least three months
• Providing voluntary informed consent to participate in the study

You may not qualify if:

• Participating in volleyball at an amateur level
• Presence of pain in regions other than the shoulder and arm
• History of cancer or pregnancy
• Pain originating from neurological, cardiogenic, or rheumatological conditions
• Failure to complete the pain neuroscience education (PNE) program

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pamukkale University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Muş Alparslan University, Faculty of Sport Sciences

Muş, 49100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Sullivan MJ, Bishop SR, Pivik J. Pain catastrophizing scale. Psychol Assess. 1995;7(4):524-532.

  BACKGROUND

• Hawker GA, Mian S, Kendzerska T, French M. Measures of adult pain. Arthritis Care Res. 2011;63(S11):S240-S252.

  BACKGROUND

• Catley MJ, O'Connell NE, Moseley GL. Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire Rasch analysis. J Pain. 2013;14(8):818-827.

  BACKGROUND

• Sastre-Munar A, Romero-Franco N. Pain education in youth athletes. Healthcare. 2024;12(2):215.

  BACKGROUND

• Sánchez-Robalino A, Sinchi-Sinchi H, Ramírez A. Effectiveness of pain neuroscience education in physical therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Sci. 2025;15(6):658.

  BACKGROUND

• Cuenca-Martínez F, Suso-Martí L, Calatayud J, Ferrer-Sargues FJ, Muñoz-Alarcos V, Alba-Quesada P, et al. Pain neuroscience education in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: an umbrella review. Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1272068.

  BACKGROUND

• Gajardo-Burgos R, Valdebenito-Tejos C, Gálvez-García G, Bascour-Sandoval C. Pain and psychological readiness to return to sport in elite volleyball players. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(3):2492.

  BACKGROUND

• 2. Alaiti RK, Reis FJ. Pain in athletes: current knowledge and challenges. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2022;17(6):981.

  BACKGROUND

• 1. Malfliet A, Leysen L, Pas R, Kuppens K, Nijs J, Van Wilgen P, et al. Modern pain neuroscience in clinical practice: applied to post-cancer, paediatric and sports-related pain. Braz J Phys Ther. 2017;21(4):225-232.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Agnosia; Shoulder Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Perceptual Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Arthralgia; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pain

Study Officials

• Aziz DENGİZ, Assist. Prof.

  Muş Alparslan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Harun KOÇ, Assist. Prof.

  Muş Alparslan University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assist. Prof.

Model Details: This study used a parallel-group randomized controlled design. Eligible participants were randomly allocated to either the pain neuroscience education (PNE) group or the control group. Both groups continued their regular sports training programs, while the intervention group additionally received a structured six-week PNE program. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after completion of the intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 23, 2026
• First Posted: February 6, 2026
• Study Start: December 3, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 15, 2026
• Study Completion: January 16, 2026
• Last Updated: February 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)