Can pain beliefs change in middle school students? A study of the effectiveness of pain neuroscience education

Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is an educational strategy aimed at teaching people more about pain from a neurobiological and neurophysiological perspective. Current best-evidence provides strong support for PNE to positively influence pain ratings, dysfunctions, fear-avoidance and pain catastrophization, limitations in movement, pain knowledge, and healthcare utilization. To date, all PNE studies have been conducted on adult populations. This study set out to explore if an abbreviated PNE lecture to middle school children would result in a positive shift in pain knowledge as well as healthier beliefs regarding pain. One-hundred-and-thirty-three middle school students spanning 5th to 8th grade attended a 30-minute PNE lecture. The primary outcome measures of pain knowledge (neurophysiology of pain questionnaire [NPQ]) and beliefs regarding pain (numeric rating scale) were measured before and immediately after the PNE lecture. Significant improvement in knowledge was found with mean score on NPQ test scores improving from 3.83 (29.5%) pre-PNE to 7.90 (60.8%) post-PNE (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (r = .711). Significant shifts in beliefs were also found in all but one of the pain beliefs questions, with a medium effect size for “you can control how much pain you feel” (p < 0.001; r = 0.354) and large effect size for “your brain decides if you feel pain, not your tissues” (p < 0.001; r = 0.545). This study shows that a 30-minute PNE lecture to middle school children resulted in a significant increase in their knowledge of pain as well various beliefs regarding pain.     

Subacromial Injection Improves Deltoid Firing in Subjects with Large Rotator Cuff Tears

Previous studies demonstrate that scapulohumeral mechanics improve after subacromial injection. However, it is unclear how injection affects muscle firing. Forty-one subjects with two-tendon rotator cuff tears and 23 volunteer subjects with normal rotator cuffs documented by ultrasonography were examined. Electromyographic activity from 12 muscles was collected during ten functional tasks. Nine symptomatic subjects with rotator cuff tears underwent subacromial injection of anesthetic and underwent repeat electromyographic examination. Subjects with rotator cuff tears demonstrate global electromyographic differences when compared to normal controls. Asymptomatic subjects with rotator cuff tears had significantly increased anterior deltoid firing when compared to symptomatic counterparts during forward shoulder elevation. After subacromial injection, symptomatic subjects demonstrate increased anterior deltoid firing. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that pain leads to deltoid inhibition and that subacromial injection leads to improved deltoid firing and, subsequently, improved shoulder function. This study provides direct evidence that subacromial injection improves deltoid firing in symptomatic subjects with rotator cuff tears. These findings reinforce the concept that deltoid inhibition resulting from pain is an important component of the motor disability associated with rotator cuff tears.