Assessment and Treatment of Psychosocial Factors in Musculoskeletal Care

Course overview

Psychosocial risk factors including anxiety, depression and catastrophizing impact the development of chronic pain conditions. In patients with chronic low back pain, evidence suggests psychosocial risk factors are associated with increased pain intensity, persistence of dysfunction and a worsened overall prognosis. Treatment that is solely directed at the musculoskeletal system may not be sufficient as the underlying causes of pain may not be addressed. Psychological, social, and emotional factors may also have a profound impact on athletes who have experienced an injury during sports participation. Failure to address psychosocial factors may impair an athlete's readiness to return to sport and negatively impact their performance. This lecture will describe the impact of psychosocial risk factors for a broad range of patient populations including older individuals experiencing chronic pain as well as athletes. The presenters will discuss steps to identify, assess, and quantify psychosocial risk factors in the clinical setting using validated outcome measures and communication strategies. Management techniques to address psychosocial risk factors will be detailed with case examples and collaborative practice with mental health providers will be discussed.