Therapeutic approach to pain-related fear and avoidance in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain: an integrative review and a roadmap for clinicians
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive-behavioral approaches have been applied in patients with chronic pain as a treatment strategy to reduce symptoms and disability, since fear related to pain, kinesiophobia and catastrophizing may be important psychosocial barriers for recovery. The relevance of fear and avoidance behaviors in the development and maintenance of processes of disabling chronic pain is already well established in the scientific literature. CONTENTS: The cognitive-behavioral approach defines the relationship of pain with defense behaviors and the contribution to functional disability, assisting clinicians to recognize signs of these defensive behaviors during practice, as well as providing strategies for clinical practice, highlighting approaches that can be used, such as pain neuroscience education and exposure therapy. Therefore, it is possible to provide a guide to facilitate the implementation of these concepts in clinical practice for the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain, helping clinicians to ground the theories of fear learning and avoidance in the context of pain and to address the psychosocial factors of patients who present an association between pain and movement. CONCLUSION: Pain-related fear and catastrophic thoughts influence pain intensity and functional disability. Recognizing pain within a multidimensional context assists in establishing targeted approaches. Cognitive-behavioral approaches based on exposure therapy focus on the view beyond body structures.
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sociedade Brasileira para o Estudo da Dor
2022
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| Online Access: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2595-31922022000100072 |
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| Summary: | ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive-behavioral approaches have been applied in patients with chronic pain as a treatment strategy to reduce symptoms and disability, since fear related to pain, kinesiophobia and catastrophizing may be important psychosocial barriers for recovery. The relevance of fear and avoidance behaviors in the development and maintenance of processes of disabling chronic pain is already well established in the scientific literature. CONTENTS: The cognitive-behavioral approach defines the relationship of pain with defense behaviors and the contribution to functional disability, assisting clinicians to recognize signs of these defensive behaviors during practice, as well as providing strategies for clinical practice, highlighting approaches that can be used, such as pain neuroscience education and exposure therapy. Therefore, it is possible to provide a guide to facilitate the implementation of these concepts in clinical practice for the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain, helping clinicians to ground the theories of fear learning and avoidance in the context of pain and to address the psychosocial factors of patients who present an association between pain and movement. CONCLUSION: Pain-related fear and catastrophic thoughts influence pain intensity and functional disability. Recognizing pain within a multidimensional context assists in establishing targeted approaches. Cognitive-behavioral approaches based on exposure therapy focus on the view beyond body structures. |
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