Effect of Duration of Pain Neuroscience Education on Pain Catastrophizing and Kinesiophobia in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the available evidence regarding the effect of the total duration in minutes of Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) on pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and PeDro databases covering the last 5 years up to February 2024. No meta-analysis was performed, and qualitative analysis was conducted in narrative and tabular form. Results: Six randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review. All studies included patients with chronic low back pain aged over 18. PNE was provided either as a standalone intervention or in combination with other therapies such as exercise, with total duration ranging from 100 to 240 minutes. Primary outcome measures focused on pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia, while secondary outcomes included pain and functional disability. Conclusions: No significant correlation was established between the total duration of PNE and improvement in primary outcome measures. However, findings suggest that combining PNE with exercise in the treatment of chronic low back pain leads to greater improvements in kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing compared to exercise alone.