This section of the course takes a step away from the clinic to dive deeper into pain science concepts such as sensitization / habituation, pain vulnerability, maladaptive plasticity, and new perspectives on the neurobiology of the conscious lived experience of pain.

Exercise is the gold standard for chronic pain, yet it seems to make many patients feel worse. In this section of the course, we will explore the physiology underlying exercise induced pain, and strategies to make exercise more comfortable for patients. We will also learn an entirely new framework for exercise that utilizes therapeutic movement from a non-biomechanical pain science perspective.

This section will explore the science of touch based therapies such as massage and manipulation.  We will present practical strategies for integrating these treatments into patient care without reinforcing harmful beliefs or unhealthy reliance on passive treatment. We will also explore pain science concepts that open up new doors for creative application of these therapies.

In this section, we will explore the role of stress (including PTSD) in the development and treatment of persistent. We will learn novel strategies for enhancing stress resiliency that can be integrated into a pain rehabilitation program

In this section, we will explore the role of sleep in the development and treatment of persistent pain. We will also cover strategies for sleep enhancement that can be used by clinicians.

The RetrainPain online certification course provides 40 Continuing Education Hours, and is an accredited continuing education sponsor by the American Physical Therapy Association (California chapter).
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‍The APTA is an approved accrediting organization by The National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy (NAWCO) for continuing education credit for recertification of your license.*

‍For more information, visit: https://www.nawccb.org/continuing-education‍

‍*It is recommended to double check with NAWCO to confirm that this remains accurate and updated information. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to:

‍Neurobiology:
- List several key physiological processes that are involved in acute and chronic pain perception
- Describe changes that occur throughout the nervous system during the transition from acute to chronic pain

‍Expectations & Emotions:
- Analyze patient statements to identify the presence of expectations and emotions, and integrate these perspectives into the treatment plan

‍Body Awareness & Mindful Movement
- Understand principles of interoception and body awareness
- Construct a chronic pain rehabilitation program incorporating mindful movement and stress reduction techniques based on these foundations

‍Sleep
‍- Classify common sleep problems and recognize the relationship between sleep function and fluctuations in pain
- Provide practical sleep-improvement strategies in clinical sessions

‍Pain & Exercise
- Understand the underlying physiology that is responsible for patient complaints of pain during exercise
- Apply exercise therapy within a biopsychosocial framework to target fear, self-efficacy, pacing, health promotion and sensory desensitization
- Recommend strategies to reduce and manage post-exercise flare-ups

‍Social Function
- Apply a “return to living” approach to chronic pain, recognizing the role of social function in pain management - such as social isolation, communication about pain, family involvement - and the importance of the therapeutic alliance

‍Manual Therapy
- Incorporate the science of somatosensation to adapt manual therapy techniques to patients with hypersensitivity to touch, while facilitating active patient involvement and empowerment for self-care

The online course is designed to be completed gradually over a period of 4 months. There are 16 weekly lessons, and each lesson has an average time to complete of 2.5 hours. The cost is $750 USD.

Students can schedule a 1 hour (or 2 half hour) phone or video conference sessions with the instructor. These sessions are available during working hours (European time zone).

Yes. You will continue to have access to the content after you complete the course.

We do not offer a free trial, but we do have a satisfaction guarantee with a no-questions-asked full refund policy. Requests for refund must be made within the first 14 days of starting the course

After you finish the coursework you will take a comprehensive quiz. Upon successful completion, you will be awarded a Certification in Principles of Biopsychosocial Chronic Pain Rehabilitation.

While it is very helpful to stay with the pace of the course, you can slow down if you need to for any reason.

Not exactly. While much of the content could be "consumed" in a few weekends, the goal of the course is to enhance clinical practice. It takes time to think through and practice applying the concepts with your patients or clients. As such, the course is deliberately paced over a longer period of time.

The lesson materials are a mix of several multimedia formats including text, images, slides, and video.

Feel free to email the instructor at Elan@RetrainPain.org with any questions.