Perceptions of lebanese physiotherapists towards the management of chronic low back pain and the knowledge of pain neuroscience education: A qualitative study.

Introduction: There is growing acknowledgement of the benefits of incorporating a bio-psychosocial model of understanding pain within physical therapist practice1. Consequently this has led to an increasing interest in interventions such Pain neuroscience education (PNE). However, pain management strategies developed by clinicians in one culture may not necessarily be understood, appropriate, or effective in another culture2 Methods: This study is part of a broader research in the development of culturally sensitive pain neuroscience education for the Lebanese population. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to first gain an in-depth understanding of the Lebanese physiotherapists' perceptions towards the management of chronic low back pain as well as the knowledge regarding PNE. A qualitative one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 10 practicing physical therapists were conducted. The transcribed text from the interviews was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Several themes were generated, identified, and constructed by the researchers: (1) physiotherapists use of a biomechanical approach. (2) Poor knowledge about the bio-psychosocial approach or PNE. (3) Barrier and facilitation for the implementation of PNE. Discussion: The preliminary results showed a limited knowledge of the bio-psychosocial approach, or PNE, and that the Lebanese physical therapist use more a biomechanical approach in the treatment and assessment of people with chronic low back pain. Process evaluation: The results showed that training is needed for physiotherapists to deliver a broader model of care, and that future research should focus on developing a culturally sensitive PNE material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]