Feasibility of Gamified Web-Based Pain Neuroscience Education for Chronic Low Back Pain
Aim To develop a web-based pain neuroscience education intervention based on patients’ beliefs and evaluate its feasibility, engagement, and preliminary clinical effects in chronic low back pain. Background Up to 90% of patients with low back pain have not received a clear explanation for the source...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat de Lleida (UdL) |
| Repositorio: | Repositori Obert UdL |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:.___________::5e4f64f1344f3bc5b761f59e1b92ffba |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2026.03.015 https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/469988 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Low back pain Chronic pain Primary health care Patient education |
| Sumario: | Aim To develop a web-based pain neuroscience education intervention based on patients’ beliefs and evaluate its feasibility, engagement, and preliminary clinical effects in chronic low back pain. Background Up to 90% of patients with low back pain have not received a clear explanation for the source of their pain. Web-based educational interventions offer a promising avenue to improve knowledge and self-management behaviors in chronic pain populations. Methods This was a mixed-method exploratory sequential study designed as a pilot feasibility trial. Following a qualitative phase (n = 16) to inform content development, a randomized controlled trial was conducted with 48 patients in primary care. The 15-day intervention group (n = 26) accessed a gamified website, while the control group (n = 22) followed conventional care. Primary outcomes were feasibility (recruitment/retention) and user engagement metrics. Secondary clinical outcomes included pain intensity, fear-avoidance beliefs, kinesiophobia, and disability. Results The study demonstrated high feasibility with a 92% retention rate. Engagement analysis revealed heterogeneous usage patterns, consistent with a self-directed learning design. Regarding clinical outcomes, the intervention significantly prevented the deterioration of disability observed in the control group (MD −4.1; p = .023). No significant between-group differences were observed for pain intensity, although the experimental group showed significant within-group reductions in fear-avoidance beliefs and kinesiophobia. Conclusions A gamified web-based pain neuroscience education intervention is feasible and acceptable for patients in primary care. While a 15-day dose was insufficient to reduce pain intensity, the intervention effectively prevented functional deterioration. Future definitive trials should implement longer durations (>4 weeks) to optimize clinical efficacy. |
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