Pain Neuroscience Education in Healthy Children

NCT ID: NCT03164343

Last Updated: 2019-07-05

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

27 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2017-08-08

Study Completion Date

2018-09-22

Brief Summary

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The primary objective of this study is to examine whether Pain Neuroscience Education for children is able to increase a child's knowledge on the neurophysiology of pain.

In addition, this study investigates the influence of PNE on several pain related outcomes; pain-related fear, pain catastrophizing and pain vigilance and awareness.

Detailed Description

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Pain is a common and daily experience among children that is usually short-term, causing little to moderate discomfort. Yet, a substantial number of children experience chronic pain. Persistent pain periods mainly affect the children's school attendance and participation in recreational activities, possibly leading to academic impairments and social exclusion. Even worse is the children's greater predisposition to develop chronic pain into adulthood. Considering these disadvantages, children suffering from chronic pain should be treated as fast as possible and in the most optimal way. The existing literature on management in children with chronic pain encourages a multidisciplinary approach involving physical therapy and psychological interventions (i.e. cognitive behavioural therapy).

Recently, the application of Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) as an intervention on its own, as well as in combination with another form of therapy (such as physiotherapy or cognitive- behavioural therapy) is receiving growing interest in the pediatric field of chronic pain. PNE aims to make people understand how their pain is produced and enables them to integrate this understanding into their everyday lives and subsequent treatment components. This innovative education style has shown to be effective in various adult chronic pain populations, by improving the patients' pain coping strategies and health status, and changing their pain beliefs. Although, no study examined the effectiveness of PNE in the context of chronic pediatric pain.

The hypothetical efficacy of pediatric PNE is based on previous findings in adult research that a better understanding of the nature of the illness results in improved patient outcomes. When children do not understand the origin of their pain, they might develop irrational beliefs and fears (including catastrophizing) about their pain, sustaining the vicious circle of chronic pain. Indeed, the information and context in which children perceive their pain, has been shown to modulate pain expectations and emotional response to pain. Since research findings showed that even parental beliefs about the aetiology of the child's pain influences the child's pain outcomes, the role of parents as 'pain modulators' might not be underestimated. Therefore, parents should be involved during PNE.

Concrete, the present study will examine whether reconceptualization of pain, by PNE is able to influence both child and parent knowledge of pain, as well as some other pain-related outcomes.

Conditions

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Child Pain

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Pain Neuroscience Education for children

All participants within this study will receive Pain Neuroscience Education

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Pain Neuroscience Education for children

Intervention Type DEVICE

Children and their parent will receive a +/- 1h one-on-one educational session about the neurophysiology of pain, adjusted to the child's comprehension status. Parents will be present in the PNE session too. The PNE program for children contains two sections: (1) The healthy pain system and its function, divided in subsections each consisting of a specific neurophysiological pain concept (i.e. central nervous system anatomy, nociception and nociceptive pathways, up- and down-regulation of the nervous system) and (2) adaptations of the pain system following persistent pain. To ensure interaction between therapist and child, an interactive board game was developed and used throughout the full educational session.

Interventions

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Pain Neuroscience Education for children

Children and their parent will receive a +/- 1h one-on-one educational session about the neurophysiology of pain, adjusted to the child's comprehension status. Parents will be present in the PNE session too. The PNE program for children contains two sections: (1) The healthy pain system and its function, divided in subsections each consisting of a specific neurophysiological pain concept (i.e. central nervous system anatomy, nociception and nociceptive pathways, up- and down-regulation of the nervous system) and (2) adaptations of the pain system following persistent pain. To ensure interaction between therapist and child, an interactive board game was developed and used throughout the full educational session.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Healthy children
2. Informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

1. Previous pain education
2. Chronic pain
3. Insufficient knowledge of the Dutch language
4. Mental retardation
5. Parent with chronic pain
Minimum Eligible Age

8 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

12 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Universiteit Antwerpen

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Roselien Pas

Principal investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Roselien Pas, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Locations

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Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Brussels, Jette, Belgium

Site Status

Countries

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Belgium

References

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Goddard JM. Chronic pain in children and young people. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2011 Jun;5(2):158-63. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0b013e328345832d.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28009822 (View on PubMed)

Moseley GL, Butler DS. Fifteen Years of Explaining Pain: The Past, Present, and Future. J Pain. 2015 Sep;16(9):807-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.05.005. Epub 2015 Jun 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26051220 (View on PubMed)

Louw A, Diener I, Butler DS, Puentedura EJ. The effect of neuroscience education on pain, disability, anxiety, and stress in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011 Dec;92(12):2041-56. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2011.07.198.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22133255 (View on PubMed)

Van Oosterwijck J, Meeus M, Paul L, De Schryver M, Pascal A, Lambrecht L, Nijs J. Pain physiology education improves health status and endogenous pain inhibition in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Clin J Pain. 2013 Oct;29(10):873-82. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31827c7a7d.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23370076 (View on PubMed)

Nijs J, Paul van Wilgen C, Van Oosterwijck J, van Ittersum M, Meeus M. How to explain central sensitization to patients with 'unexplained' chronic musculoskeletal pain: practice guidelines. Man Ther. 2011 Oct;16(5):413-8. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2011.04.005. Epub 2011 May 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21632273 (View on PubMed)

Moseley L. Combined physiotherapy and education is efficacious for chronic low back pain. Aust J Physiother. 2002;48(4):297-302. doi: 10.1016/s0004-9514(14)60169-0.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Meeus M, Nijs J, Van Oosterwijck J, Van Alsenoy V, Truijen S. Pain physiology education improves pain beliefs in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome compared with pacing and self-management education: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010 Aug;91(8):1153-9. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2010.04.020.

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Palermo TM, Chambers CT. Parent and family factors in pediatric chronic pain and disability: an integrative approach. Pain. 2005 Dec 15;119(1-3):1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2005.10.027. Epub 2005 Nov 18. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16298492 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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Eduvalid Study (Part 2)

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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