Date Presented 03/22/24
This poster describes a prospective study measuring the impact of a group pain education course delivered by OTs in primary care to address fear of movement and beliefs about pain among individuals living with chronic pain.
Primary Author and Speaker: Allyssa A. Howell
Additional Authors and Speakers: John V. Rider
Contributing Authors: Rebecca Edgeworth
PURPOSE: For 1 in 5 individuals, pain is a significant barrier to occupational engagement (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2023). Though current evidence supports pain management education programs, limited research exists on short-term group interventions. This study examined the impact of an hour-long occupational therapy (OT) pain management group class on fear of movement and beliefs about pain.
DESIGN: A prospective single cohort pre- and post-test design. Adults over the age of 18 years with chronic pain were recruited through convenience sampling of a local primary care clinic.
METHOD: Participants (n=28) attended a pain management group class developed and delivered by OT practitioners. The group intervention included education on the biopsychosocial nature of pain and self-management skills. Participants completed the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) and the Pain Beliefs Questionnaire (PBQ) before (Pre), following the course (Post-1), and one month after (Post-2).
RESULTS: Scores were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc analyses with Bonferonni adjustments. A statistically significant improvement in TSK-11 scores and PBQ Organic subscale scores were found from Pre to Post-1 (p < .001), from Pre to Post 2 (p < .001), but not from Post-1 to Post-2 (TSK-11, p = 1.00; PBQ Organic, p =.938). No statistically significant changes were found in PBQ Psychological subscale scores across time (p’s > .05).
CONCLUSION: A one-hour OT pain management group intervention significantly improved fear of movement and beliefs about the nature and perceived cause of pain. However, further research with a longer duration of outcome assessment and modifications to better address psychological factors should be explored.
IMPACT STATEMENT: OTs can deliver group interventions to address beliefs about pain and decrease fear of movement to improve occupational performance and quality of life among individuals living with chronic pain.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2021). Position Statement—Role of occupational therapy in pain management. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(Suppl. 3), 7513410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.75S3001
Javdaneh, N., Saeterbakken, A. H., Shams, A., & Barati, A. H. (2021). Pain neuroscience education combined with therapeutic exercises provides added benefit in the treatment of chronic neck pain. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), Article e8848. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168848
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2023, January). Chronic pain: What you need to know. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chronic-pain-what-you-need-to-know
Rider, J., & Smith, K. (2023). Persistent pain. In Dahl-Popolizio, S., Smith, K., Day, M., Muir, S., & Manard, W., Primary Care Occupational Therapy (pp. 387–400). Springer.
