“I wish I knew then what I know now” – pain science education concepts important for female persistent pelvic pain: a reflexive thematic analysis

Review written by Dr Sandy Hilton info

Key Points

  1. Psychological and social contributions to pelvic pain should be considered along with biological contributions.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Persistent pelvic pain remains loosely defined with multiple possible etiology. As in all pain, the contributions of biological, psychological, and social factors are recommended to be included in treatment design. The authors of this paper point out that most guidelines for pelvic pain do not include psychosocial considerations and are focused on biomedical treatments. There is a growing resource of studies specifically looking at pelvic pain, the difficulties of patients explaining their pain to providers, and the impact of pain education (1,2).

Pain science education (PSE) has evolved as data emerges over the years of efficacy and effectiveness studies, but there are relatively few on the direct impact of the people experiencing pelvic pain. The authors explored the patient response and experiences regarding pain education in relation to their pelvic pain.

The aim of the study was to identify PSE concepts that were considered important to the individuals with pelvic pain and explore the importance and relevance to those women.

Persistent pelvic pain remains loosely defined with multiple possible etiology.
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Reinforcing that pain can and does change (albeit slowly) is a profound statement.

METHODS

This is a qualitative study using semistructured interviews of females with pelvic pain who engaged with PSE. 20 adult females who self-identified as having improved pelvic pain were recruited. All subjects lived in Australia.

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