Pain Neuroscience Education to Reduce Catastrophizing: A Parallel Randomized Trial in Youth Athletes

In sport, pain is often normalized, leading athletes to train or compete despite discomfort. This can shape their response to pain, with catastrophizing potentially triggering fear of movement, avoidance behaviors, and increased pain. While previous research has examined the relationship between pai...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sastre-Munar, Andreu, Pades-Jiménez, Antonia, Romero-Franco, Natalia
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Conselleria de Salut i Consum del Govern de les Illes Balears
Repositorio:Docusalut
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docusalut.com:20.500.13003/25985
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13003/25985
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pain
Education
Sports
Dolor
Educación
Deportes
pain
education
catastrophizing
sport
Descripción
Sumario:In sport, pain is often normalized, leading athletes to train or compete despite discomfort. This can shape their response to pain, with catastrophizing potentially triggering fear of movement, avoidance behaviors, and increased pain. While previous research has examined the relationship between pain and catastrophizing in individuals with chronic pain, few studies have explored these effects in the sports population. This study investigated the effects of a pain neuroscience educational program on catastrophizing and injury rates in youth female and male athletes. This parallel randomized trial included an intervention group (IG) and a control group (CG), both undergoing a 12-week program on healthy habits in sport. The IG received additional pain neuroscience information. Catastrophizing levels were collected before and after using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Injury rates were registered during the study. The results revealed a decrease in catastrophizing levels in the IG compared to baseline (p = 0.028, d = 0.32, 95%CI [0.03, 0.61]). In the IG, only males showed improvements (p = 0.041, d = 0.47, 95%CI [0.08, 0.86]). Injury rates were similar between groups (CG = 26.2%, IG = 27.8%; p > 0.05). Pain education may reduce catastrophizing in youth athletes, particularly males, although effects may vary by sex and context.