Efficacy of an online pain neuroscience education intervention for women with pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain: a randomized controlled trial

Pain Med. 2025 Oct 27:pnaf150. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnaf150. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy of an online standard prenatal education intervention with the addition of pain neuroscience education in women with pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain, compared to standard prenatal education intervention alone on pain intensity, disability, kinesiophobia, physical activity, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and depression.

DESIGN: A multicentre randomized controlled trial was designed.

SETTING: It was conducted in the Gynecology and Obstetrics departments of three hospitals in the Valencian Community, Spain.

SUBJECTS: A total of 211 participants were randomly assigned to either the standard prenatal education + pain neuroscience education group (n = 111) or the standard prenatal education-only group (n = 100).

METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 12 written standard prenatal education lessons or 12 written standard prenatal education lessons plus 12 audiovisual pain neuroscience education lessons over one month.

RESULTS: Post-intervention between-group differences were observed in pain intensity (mean difference = -0.5, 95% CI -1.0 to 0.0; p = 0.05) and kinesiophobia (mean difference = -1.4, 95% CI -2.3 to -0.4; p = 0.005), both favouring the standard prenatal education + pain neuroscience education group, while within-group improvements were found in disability and pain catastrophizing in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating pain neuroscience education into standard prenatal education may offer additional benefits, particularly in reducing pain intensity and kinesiophobia in women with pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain.

PMID:41143559 | DOI:10.1093/pm/pnaf150