Persistent neck pain without a physical cause requires a biopsychosocial approach. Thoughts, emotions and experiences of patients play a key role, says Maaike Kragting. With the help of virtual reality, she investigated the exact role of psychological factors.
"Neck pain is common and hinders people's daily functioning. In many cases, there is no clearly demonstrable physical damage and it is referred to as 'non-specific neck pain'. We have now investigated how psychological factors such as fear, insecurity, negative beliefs and (exercise) behavior contribute to such persistent pain.
“We discovered that learning processes play an important role. Using virtual reality, we were able to see that associative learning, anxiety, and attention affect how people experience pain and how they move. A personalized physical therapy treatment that takes into account a person's thoughts and emotions about their pain and provides them with positive exercise experiences can be very effective. It not only improved the pain, but also the daily functioning of the patients.”
Positive experiences and thoughts
"Traditional treatments often have only limited effect. Physiotherapists often focus on stimulating strength, mobility or stability in the treatment of people with neck pain. By allowing people to have positive exercise experiences and present alternative thoughts about their health problem, they can develop effective strategies to manage their neck pain and improve their quality of life."
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