Pain neuroscience education for patients with chronic pain: A scoping review from teaching-learning strategies, educational level, and cultural perspective.

OBJECTIVE: (1) To identify the characteristics of PNE programs in terms of teaching-learning strategies, session modality, content delivery format, number of sessions, total minutes and instructional support material used in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, (2) to describe PNE adaptations for patients with different educational levels or cultural backgrounds, and (3) to describe the influence of the patient's educational level or cultural background on the effects of PNE. METHODS: The PRISMA guideline for scoping reviews was followed. Nine databases were systematically searched up to July 8, 2023. Articles that examined clinical or psychosocial variables in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain who received PNE were included. RESULTS: Seventy-one articles were included. Studies found benefits of PNE through passive/active teaching-learning strategies with group/individual sessions. However, PNE programs presented great heterogeneity and adaptations to PNE were poorly reported. Most studies did not consider educational level and culture in the effects of PNE. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the large number of studies on PNE and increased interest in this intervention, the educational level and culture are poorly reported in the studies. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: It is recommended to use passive and/or active teaching-learning strategies provided in individual and/or group formats considering the patient's educational level and culture.

Burnout levels and associated factors among Intensive Care Unit workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unpredictable healthcare crisis with a high psychological burden on healthcare workers. Objective: To evaluate burnout levels and their associated demographics and occupational factors among intensive care unit healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a single hospital in the city of Temuco, Chile. Methods: A cross-sectional design in which a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services were sent to health care workers in a single Chilean Intensive Care Unit during the pandemic COVID-19. Burnout levels, demographic, and occupational factors are reported using descriptive statistics; correlations between burnout levels and demographic-occupational factors were analyzed using Spearman's and rank-biserial correlation coefficients; and multiple linear stepwise regression was used to assess the contribution of demographic and occupational factors to participants' burnout levels. Results: A total of 84 participants (46 women and 38 men) were included in the analysis. Depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were evidenced in 95.2% and 98.8% of the intensive care unit healthcare workers, respectively. Emotional exhaustion was positively correlated with having children ( = 0.72; < 0.01). Age ( = 0.79; < 0.05), sex ( = 0.30; < 0.05), and prior experience in intensive care unit facilities ( = 0.71; < 0.05) were correlated with depersonalization. Feeling of personal accomplishment was positively correlated with with sex ( = 0.70; < 0.05) and type of work shift ( = 0.29; < 0.01). Conclusions: The intensive care unit healthcare workers in this study reported high levels of depersonalization and low feelings of personal accomplishment during an advanced stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older age, being female, having children, having intensive care unit experience, and working at 4th shift were factors related to burnout dimensions.

Structural and functional brain changes in people with knee osteoarthritis: a scoping review.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent disease worldwide that leads to functional disability and chronic pain. It has been shown that not only changes are generated at the joint level in these individuals, but also neuroplastic changes are produced in different brain areas, especially in those areas related to pain perception, therefore, the objective of this research was to identify and compare the structural and functional brain changes in knee OA versus healthy subjects. Methodology: Searches in MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, WOS, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Health Source, and Epistemonikos databases were conducted to explore the available evidence on the structural and functional brain changes occurring in people with knee OA. Data were recorded on study characteristics, participant characteristics, and brain assessment techniques. The methodological quality of the studies was analysed with Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. A decrease volume of the gray matter in the insular region, parietal lobe, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, visual cortex, temporal lobe, prefrontal cortex, and basal ganglia was found in people with knee OA. However, the opposite occurred in the frontal lobe, nucleus accumbens, amygdala region and somatosensory cortex, where an increase in the gray matter volume was evidenced. Moreover, a decreased connectivity to the frontal lobe from the insula, cingulate cortex, parietal, and temporal areas, and an increase in connectivity from the insula to the prefrontal cortex, subcallosal area, and temporal lobe was shown. Conclusion: All these findings are suggestive of neuroplastic changes affecting the pain matrix in people with knee OA.

Burnout levels and associated factors among Intensive Care Unit workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile: A cross-sectional study / Niveles de Burnout y factores asociados en trabajadores de la unidad de cuidados intensivos en la primera ola de la pandemia COVID-19 en Chile: estudio transversal

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unpredictable healthcare crisis with a high psychological burden on healthcare workers. Objective To evaluate burnout levels and their associated demographics and occupational factors among intensive care unit healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a single hospital in the city of Temuco, Chile. Methods A cross-sectional design in which a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services were sent to health care workers in a single Chilean Intensive Care Unit during the pandemic COVID-19. Burnout levels, demographic, and occupational factors are reported using descriptive statistics; correlations between burnout levels and demographic-occupational factors were analyzed using Spearman's and rank-biserial correlation coefficients; and multiple linear stepwise regression was used to assess the contribution of demographic and occupational factors to participants' burnout levels. Results A total of 84 participants (46 women and 38 men) were included in the analysis. Depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were evidenced in 95.2% and 98.8% of the intensive care unit healthcare workers, respectively. Emotional exhaustion was positively correlated with having children ( = 0.72; < 0.01). Age ( = 0.79; < 0.05), sex ( = 0.30; < 0.05), and prior experience in intensive care unit facilities ( = 0.71; < 0.05) were correlated with depersonalization. Feeling of personal accomplishment was positively correlated with with sex ( = 0.70; < 0.05) and type of work shift ( = 0.29; < 0.01). Conclusions The intensive care unit healthcare workers in this study reported high levels of depersonalization and low feelings of personal accomplishment during an advanced stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older age, being female, having children, having intensive care unit experience, and working at 4th shift were factors related to burnout dimensions.

Can exercise-based interventions reverse gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence has suggested that reversal of gray or white matter abnormalities could be a criterion of recovery in patients with chronic pain. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions in reversing gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE (Via PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, PEDro, and CENTRAL databases. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) including patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which assessed the change in gray and white matter abnormalities after exercise-based interventions were selected. The risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias II tool. RESULTS: Four RCTs were included (n= 386). Three studies showed reversal of abnormalities with exercise-based interventions compared to control groups. The reversal was observed in the gray matter volume in the medial orbital prefrontal cortex and in the supplementary motor area of patients with osteoarthritis, in the hippocampus, insula, amygdala and thalamus in fibromyalgia patients. Furthermore, in patients with chronic spinal pain, reversal was observed in the gray matter thickness of the frontal middle caudal cortex and in the caudate, putamen and thalamus gray matter volume. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions for reversing gray and white matter abnormalities in patients with chronic pain. Further studies are still needed in this field.

Effects of pain neuroscience education and rehabilitation following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of pain neuroscience education (PNE) versus biomedical education (BME) in a rehabilitation program following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) in patients with chronic shoulder pain. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients who participated in a rehabilitation program were randomly assigned to either an experimental PNE group (N = 16) or a control BME group (N = 13). Measurements included pain intensity at rest and in movement, pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, disability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: A main effect for time was observed for: intensity of pain at rest (p < .01); pain with movement (p < .01); pain catastrophizing (p < .01); kinesiophobia (p < .01); disability (p < .01); and HRQoL (p < .01). No group interactions were significant for any variable, except for pain with movement, which favored the PNE group (p = .03). Large effect sizes (ranging from d = 0.79 to d = 2.65) were found for both interventions in all outcomes. CONCLUSION: A rehabilitation program including either PNE or BME are equally effective in improving rest pain, pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, disability, and HRQoL in patients after ARCR, except for pain at movement in favor of the PNE group. The inclusion of PNE in the rehabilitation program appears to lead to clinically meaningful improvements in pain at rest in short term when treating patients with ARCR.

Entrenamiento de fuerza con restricción parcial del flujo sanguíneo en adultos mayores con sarcopenia / Strenght training with partial restriction of blood flow in older adults with sarcopenia

Introducción: El progresivo envejecimiento poblacional se estima a nivel mundial como un indicador de mejora de la salud. No obstante, al vivir más años se le asocian problemas sanitarios que se van posicionando en el tiempo, y uno de ellos es la sarcopenia, la que se considera una condición común en los adultos mayores y se asocia a la inactividad física, baja resistencia, baja velocidad de marcha y disminución de la movilidad. Estos factores contribuyen a un aumento del riesgo de caída y a una disminución de la funcionalidad y de la calidad de vida. Objetivo: Mostrar evidencia actualizada respecto a los resultados del entrenamiento de fuerza con restricción parcial del flujo sanguíneo en población adulto mayor con sarcopenia, como estrategia costo-efectiva para la dependencia asociada al envejecimiento. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda en bases de datos científicas EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Web of Science y en el buscador PubMed. Se utilizaron los siguientes términos de búsqueda: entrenamiento con restricción parcial del flujo sanguíneo, sarcopenia, adulto mayor. Los artículos analizados incluyeron revisiones y artículos de investigación, principalmente ensayos clínicos controlados y revisiones sistemáticas con metanálisis. Conclusiones: El entrenamiento con restricción parcial del flujo sanguíneo en el adulto mayor surge como una herramienta útil para intervenir en la sarcopenia asociada al envejecimiento, constituyendo una alternativa para inducir la ganancia de fuerza muscular, con la disminución de los riesgos del entrenamiento de alta intensidad. Además, es una técnica económica y fácil de implementar en centros de salud de asistencia masiva(AU)

Introduction: Progressive population aging is estimated globally as an indicator of health improvement. However, when living is extended, health issues appear; one of them is sarcopenia, which is consider a common condition in older adults and it is associated to physical inactivy, low resistance, low walk speed and a decrease in mobility. These factors contribute to an increase of falls risk and to a decrease of functionality and life quality. Objective: To show updated evidence on the results of the strength training with partial restriction of blood flow in older adults populations with sarcopenia, as a cost-effective strategy for dependence associated to aging. Methods: Search was done in scientific databases as EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and PubMed searcher. Following terms were used: training with partial restriction of blood flow, sarcopenia, older adult. The analyzed articles included reviews and research articles, mainly controlled clinical trials and systematic reviews with meta-analysis. Conclusions: Training with partial restriction of the blood flow in older adults emerges as an useful tool to intervene in sarcopenia associated to aging, being an alternative to induce muscle force´s gain, and decreasing the risks of high intensity training. In addition, it is an economic and easy to implement technique in health centers with massive audiences(AU)