Efficacy of neuroscience education (NE) in patients undergoing spinal surgery
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Background: One in four patients with radiculopathy experience persistent pain and disability after lumbar surgery. Postoperative rehabilitation for lumbar radiculopathy has shown little effect on reducing pain and disability. Previous research provides evidence for Neuroscience Education (NE) as a way to decrease pain, disability and fear avoidance before surgery. Methods: A multiple Single Subject Experimental Design (SSED) with six participant was completed at Martina Hansen Hospital in Norway during spring of 2014 to investigate if NE in addition to standard pre-operative hospital routines would result in superior outcomes with regards to pain, disability, fear avoidance, attitudes regarding pain and psychological status before spinal surgery. Patients on waiting list for lumbar surgery were allocated to either receive standard hospital preoperative regime or NE. Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (CSCL-25) and Survey Of Pain Attitudes (SOPA) were assessed three times during baseline, one time during intervention and one time 14 days after the last NE intervention session. No postoperative outcome measures were detected. Result: NE intervention group showed an increase in SOPA and one participant showed clinical detectable reduction in RMDQ (3points), NPRS (2points) and FABQ PA/W scores (13 to 6 and 6 to 0). No significant change occurred in the rest of the NE group. Normal variation of symptoms occurred in the control group. Conclusion: Reconceptualising of pain occurred in one of three participants in the NE group who showed an improvement in all outcome scores. Increase in SOPA does not seem to significantly change pain ratings, disability score or fear of movement. Results implicates NE alone, is not efficient of changing pain behaviour. This SSED is hypothesis generating for future research in NE and patient characteristic.
Author: Lars Haugvad
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2595435307