Effects of Pain Neuroscience Education on Pain Attitudes and Beliefs in Physiotherapy Assistant Students

Participants in the control group received a 70-minute lecture based on the biomedical model of pain. Educational content included anatomical pathways for pain process (receptors, Aδ and C fibers, spinal cord, and ascending tracts), mechanisms of action potential generation, and the Gate Control Theory. The role of the brain was briefly addressed in the context of descending inhibition. While the Neuromatrix Theory was mentioned, the presentation lacked metaphorical or narrative-based content. Case examples centered on inflammation and tissue injury.

"Students in the intervention group received a 70-minute lecture grounded in the biopsychosocial model of pain. The session emphasized that pain is not a direct result of tissue damage, but rather a complex and context-dependent output of the brain. The lecture explored how pain emerges from the brain's interpretation of various inputs, including sensory signals, prior experiences, beliefs, emotions, and environmental factors.~Instructional strategies included the use of clinically relevant metaphors and storytelling to promote reconceptualization of pain. Examples such as the alarm system were used to illustrate peripheral and central sensitization, while real-life anecdotes (a player unaware of injury during a game or a nail-in-foot case with no significant damage) highlighted the dissociation between nociception and pain experience."