Pain Science Education and Therapeutic Exercise in Adults With Musculoskeletal Pain

This randomized controlled pilot trial evaluated the effectiveness of adding pain neuroscience education (PNE) to a therapeutic exercise program in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Participants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to an experimental group receiving therapeutic exercise plus PNE or to a control group receiving therapeutic exercise alone. The intervention lasted 8 weeks. The primary objective was to evaluate the effect of the intervention on pain intensity. Secondary objectives included evaluating its effects on kinesiophobia, fear-avoidance beliefs, and muscle strength, as well as assessing the feasibility of the study protocol to inform the design of a future larger-scale randomized controlled trial.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age \>18 years. * Chronic musculoskeletal pain lasting more than 3 months, regardless of pain location. * Provision of written informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Psychiatric or psychological condition that could interfere with the performance or understanding of the therapeutic exercise program or the educational intervention. * Degenerative neurological disease or neurological disease affecting the central nervous system. * Recent surgery. * Pregnancy.