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HealthyNCT03523949

Pain Neuroscience Education in Old Adults.

A study testing PNE in people with Healthy, run by University of Barcelona.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn. The study stopped before anyone enrolled.

Official record
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Trial summary

The primary objectives of this study are to: Evaluate the ability of the older adults to understand the biological processes underneath a pain experience. Evaluate their ability to modify their behaviors and beliefs about pain and health. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 65 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy
What is being tested?
PNE
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
0 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
1 Nov 2018to 1 Sep 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 65 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Subjects 65 years old or more.
  • Able to speak and read in Spanish.

Who cannot join

  • Cognitive impairment. Global Deterioration Scale and Functional Assessment Staging (GDS-FAST) will be used for the screening, excluding the subjects with a level 3 or above in the GDS-FAST scale.

About this study

Official title: A Study of the Effectiveness of Pain Neuroscience Education in the Elderly.

The primary objectives of this study are to:

  • Evaluate the ability of the older adults to understand the biological processes underneath a pain experience.
  • Evaluate their ability to modify their behaviors and beliefs about pain and health.
Read the detailed description

The purpose of this study is to test the effectivity of a single, group-based session of pain neuroscience education (PNE) on old adults. Participants will be 65 years or older, and they will be recruited from primary care medical clinics, public lectures, community centers and through the word of mouth. The intervention consist in one educational session of pain neuroscience education delivered by a physiotherapist. The study design is a single arm, crossover clinical trial, participants will be assessed in 3 different times (1 month before PNE ,pre-PNE, post-PNE) for knowledge of pain neuroscience, pain attitudes, pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear of movement.

Conditions
Healthy
Being tested
PNE
Keywords
Pain Neuroscience Education, Elderly, Pain Education

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • PNEBehavioural

    The PNE will be delivered by a physiotherapist in a single, group-based session.

Study groups in NCT03523949
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
PNE.ExperimentalProcedure: This educational intervention is based in the latest evidence of pain neuroscience education, used in multiple rehabilitation programs. Its aim is to change the subject's pain understanding, teaching them the biological processes underneath the pain construct, as a mechanism to reduce itself and its related maladaptive thoughts and behaviors.
Receives: Behavioral: PNE

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Knowledge of Pain Neuroscience. Changes from baseline to immediately after PNE.

    Participants will be asked to complete the Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) (Spanish version)

    Measured: baseline, pre-PNE, immediately after PNE

Secondary outcomes (3)

  1. Pain Attitudes.

    Participants will be asked to complete the Survey of Pain Attitudes Brief Version (SOPA-B) (Spanish version).

    Measured: baseline, pre-PNE, immediately after PNE

  2. Pain Catastrophism.

    Participants will be asked to complete the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) (Spanish version).

    Measured: baseline, pre-PNE, immediately after PNE

  3. Pain-related Fear of Movement.

    Participants will be asked to complete the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) (Spanish version).

    Measured: baseline, pre-PNE, immediately after PNE

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 May 2018
  2. Study start1 Nov 2018
  3. Primary completion1 Jun 2019
  4. Study completion1 Sep 2027 (estimated)

Why it stopped: The study was suspended prior to initiation of participant recruitment due to lack of funding.

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
0 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03523949
Sponsor's protocol ID
END65
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
30 Apr 2018
Last updated
4 May 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Louw A, Podalak J, Zimney K, Schmidt S, Puentedura EJ. Can pain beliefs change in middle school students? A study of the effectiveness of pain neuroscience education. Physiother Theory Pract. 2018 Jul;34(7):542-550. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2017.1423142. Epub 2018 Jan 8.

    PubMed 29308954

  • Moseley L. Unraveling the barriers to reconceptualization of the problem in chronic pain: the actual and perceived ability of patients and health professionals to understand the neurophysiology. J Pain. 2003 May;4(4):184-9. doi: 10.1016/s1526-5900(03)00488-7.

    PubMed 14622702

  • Cox T, Louw A, Puentedura EJ. An abbreviated therapeutic neuroscience education session improves pain knowledge in first-year physical therapy students but does not change attitudes or beliefs. J Man Manip Ther. 2017 Feb;25(1):11-21. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2015.1122308. Epub 2016 Feb 10.

    PubMed 28855788

  • Louw A, Diener I, Landers MR, Puentedura EJ. Preoperative pain neuroscience education for lumbar radiculopathy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2014 Aug 15;39(18):1449-57. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000000444.

    PubMed 24875964

  • Louw A, Butler DS, Diener I, Puentedura EJ. Development of a preoperative neuroscience educational program for patients with lumbar radiculopathy. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 May;92(5):446-52. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e3182876aa4.

    PubMed 23478459

  • Maguire N, Chesterton P, Ryan C. The Effect of Pain Neuroscience Education on Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Clinical Recommendations Toward Athletes With Chronic Pain. J Sport Rehabil. 2019 Jul 1;28(5):438-443. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2017-0212. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

    PubMed 29405811

  • Louw A, Zimney K, Puentedura EJ, Diener I. The efficacy of pain neuroscience education on musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review of the literature. Physiother Theory Pract. 2016 Jul;32(5):332-55. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2016.1194646. Epub 2016 Jun 28.

    PubMed 27351541

  • Lluch E, Duenas L, Falla D, Baert I, Meeus M, Sanchez-Frutos J, Nijs J. Preoperative Pain Neuroscience Education Combined With Knee Joint Mobilization for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin J Pain. 2018 Jan;34(1):44-52. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000511.

    PubMed 28514231

  • Louw A PT, PhD, Zimney K PT, DPT, Reed J PT, DPT, Landers M PT, DPT, PhD, Puentedura EJ PT, DPT, PhD. Immediate preoperative outcomes of pain neuroscience education for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: A case series. Physiother Theory Pract. 2019 Jun;35(6):543-553. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2018.1455120. Epub 2018 Mar 28.

    PubMed 29589782

  • Nijs J, Paul van Wilgen C, Van Oosterwijck J, van Ittersum M, Meeus M. How to explain central sensitization to patients with 'unexplained' chronic musculoskeletal pain: practice guidelines. Man Ther. 2011 Oct;16(5):413-8. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2011.04.005. Epub 2011 May 31.

    PubMed 21632273

  • Andias R, Neto M, Silva AG. The effects of pain neuroscience education and exercise on pain, muscle endurance, catastrophizing and anxiety in adolescents with chronic idiopathic neck pain: a school-based pilot, randomized and controlled study. Physiother Theory Pract. 2018 Sep;34(9):682-691. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2018.1423590. Epub 2018 Jan 10.

    PubMed 29319386

  • Rufa A PT, DPT, OCS, Beissner K PT, PhD, Dolphin M PT, DPT, MS, OCS. The use of pain neuroscience education in older adults with chronic back and/or lower extremity pain. Physiother Theory Pract. 2019 Jul;35(7):603-613. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2018.1456586. Epub 2018 Mar 30.

    PubMed 29601227

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing PNE in people with Healthy, run by University of Barcelona.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Knowledge of Pain Neuroscience. Changes from baseline to immediately after PNE. (time frame: baseline, pre-PNE, immediately after PNE). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03523949, which also lists 12 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 May 2026.

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