Pain Neuroscience Education Combined With Cognition-targeted Motor Control Training

Chronic spinal pain (CSP) includes chronic low back pain, failed back surgery, chronic whiplash associated disorders, chronic non-traumatic neck pain, etc. The current investigators and others have provided evidence for impaired motor control of spinal muscles in patients with CSP. In addition, there is increasing evidence that central mechanisms, i.e. hyperexcitability of the central nervous system and brain abnormalities (e.g. decreased brain matter density) play a role in CSP. Hence, treatments for CSP should not only address the spinal muscles and joints, but also the brain. Therefore, a modern neuroscience approach, comprising of pain neuroscience education followed by cognition-targeted motor control training, can be applied. The scientific objective entails examining the effectiveness of the modern neuroscience approach vs. usual care evidence-based physiotherapy for reducing pain and improving functioning in Flemish patients with CSP. A secondary objective entails examining the effectiveness of the modern neuroscience approach vs. usual care evidence-based physiotherapy for altering brain's structure and function (magnetic Resonance Imaging) in Flemish patients with CSP. Therefore, a multi-center triple-blind randomized controlled trial will be conducted. To comply with this scientific objective, 120 CSP patients will be recruited and subjected to the baseline assessment. The baseline assessment includes the assessment of pain (including symptoms of central sensitization and conditioned pain modulation), the assessment of restrictions in functioning, brain imaging, the evaluation of motor control and muscle properties, spinal mobility, and psychosocial correlates. Baseline analysis will provide descriptive statistics and will lead to calculate correlation between the different outcome measures and predictors of pain and dysfunctioning. In a next step, included patients will be randomized to the experimental or control group. Those in the experimental group