Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common reasons to seek healthcare and failure to understand its nature and complexity can lead to continued suffering of those we treat. The individual training to be a physical therapist or the practicing physical therapist can grow frustrated with pain management options because traditional instruction falls short on providing an adequate understanding of pain. The American Physical Therapy Association’s #ChoosePT campaign provides direction and resources for physical therapists and patients interested in safe chronic pain management. However, before physical therapists are seen as the ideal providers for musculoskeletal pain there is a need for gaining a broader understanding of pain. The overall goal of this course is to provide content that allows the learner to gain a “transformed understanding” of pain that is consistent with Institute of Medicine guidelines. Webinar content will follow a “Top 10” format, emphasize practice implications, and use musculoskeletal pain examples from selected studies reported in the peer-review literature.

Learning Objectives:

1. Differentiate nociception, experience, and impact as key elements of understanding pain.
2. Determine key differences in “pain treatment” and “pain management” philosophies.
3. Provide examples of how traditional physical therapy practice does not account for the variability inherent in the pain experience.
4. Identify key constructs to include in progressive pain assessment.
5. Describe how pain assessment can inform clinical decision making.
6. Provide examples of evidence supported approaches to pain management
7. Identify key components of a psychologically informed physical therapy approach.

Course Instructions

1. Click on the Contents tab to watch the course recording.
2. Click the Take Quiz button to complete the assessment. Learners will have 3 attempts to pass and must answer at least 70% of questions correctly.
3. Click Fill Out Survey under the Evaluation listing to provide valuable course feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
4. Click the View/Print Your Certificate button under the Certificate listing. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the APTA Learning Center and clicking the CEU Certificate/Transcript link on the left-hand side of the page. 

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