Did you know that chronic pain affects an estimated 51.6 million adults in the United States alone? That's almost 21% of the population (1). It's a debilitating condition that can disrupt daily life and limit one's ability to function. But what about those with hypermobility? Often individuals with hypermobility are even more susceptible to chronic pain and their treatment may require a unique approach.

There are many variables that make a person more susceptible to developing chronic pain. Some of these include genetics, prior trauma, culture, and health history. Patients with hypermobility are more likely to develop chronic pain and may also need to be treated with a different lens than the rest of the population.

Alyson Lowrey, PT, DPT, OCS is the co-instructor for the H&W course Pain Science for the Chronic Pelvic Pain Population - Remote Course alongside Tara Sullivan, PT, DPT, PRPC, WCS, IF. Alyson treats the pelvic floor patient population through an orthopedic approach, working closely with pelvic floor specialists.

Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is the explanation of the neurophysiological changes in the central nervous system in patients with chronic pain. It includes how the nervous system functions and factors that influence its function such as social, psychological, and environmental factors. Pain neuroscience education aims to increase the patient’s knowledge about pain, decrease the threat of pain, and allow the patient to reconceptualize pain from a biopsychosocial perspective.

As a clinician seeing a patient with chronic and complex pain, it can be very daunting trying to determine how much education you should give the patient. Patients are generally very invested in improving their quality of life and therefore invested in learning how to treat their pain. Using techniques such as motivational interviewing is one way to determine if a patient is receptive to new information about pain and how to deliver that information. Education about pain needs to be varied and tailored to each patient based on their prior knowledge and perceptions, learning styles, their language, and their health literacy.