Course overview
The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of pain and introduce the principles of pain management within a multidisciplinary framework. Biopsychosocial models for the clinical engagement of pain; epidemiology of pain as a public health problem; working pain definitions; neural communication; neural pathways; pain mechanisms and contributors; pain deconstruction into pathobiological mechanisms; neuroendocrine system; immune system; identification of risk factors for chronicity and barriers to recovery; assessment of pain, disability and recovery; principles of acute and chronic pain management; multidisciplinary pain management strategies; Exercise and movement strategies; psychological approaches in pain management; common pain conditions.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the biological and psychological factors that contribute to a pain experience.
- Describe the roles of the nociceptive, endocrine, immune, motor, autonomic nervous systems in the experience of pain.
- Apply principles from the basic sciences to clinical examples using biopsychosocial models of engagement.
- Identify the psychosocial factors that increase the risk of pain-related disability.
- Formulate a collaborative multidisciplinary pain management program.
- Explain pain to a layperson using jargon-free language.