Date: Monday, May 22, 2023, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Eastern (US) Time
This webinar is being produced by the International Association for the Study of Pain’s Musculoskeletal Pain Special Interest Group (MSK SIG) – in collaboration with the International Patellofemoral Research Network (iPFRN) – and supported by the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT).
Chronic pain in adolescents/young adults is often neglected. Importantly, chronic pain impacts quality of life in adolescents/young adults just like the adult population. Families to adolescents/young adults with chronic pain are often uncertain about treatment options and diagnoses, which can add additional layers of stress and worriedness. Diagnostic uncertainty is associated with poorer child pain outcomes and is intricately tied to clinical communication along the pain management journey. Adolescents/young adults with localized pain complaints are at high risk of developing complex widespread pain syndrome over a 5-10 year period.
This webinar will focus on the consequences of chronic pain in adolescents/young adults, the challenges faced by youth and caregivers as they navigate chronic pain management, and how chronic pain can impact youth’s lives and their families. The symposium will cover the most recent evidence on how untreated chronic pain in adolescents/young adults can develop into more complex pain disorders. The webinar will feature:
- Rhiannon Joslin, PhD, University of Southampton, UK
The Lived Experiences of Pain, Treatment, and Recovery During Youth - Alexandra Neville, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA
What Does Diagnostic Uncertainty Mean to an Adolescent and Their Family? - Michael Skovdal Rathleff, PhD, Dr.Med., Aalborg University, Denmark
How to Help Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Through Education and Support on Self-Management - Kristian Kjær-Staal Petersen, PhD, Dr.Med., Aalborg University, Denmark (moderator)
About the presenters
Rhiannon Joslin, PhD, combines her clinical practice as a consultant physiotherapist within a pediatric chronic musculoskeletal pain team, with research and education at the University of Southampton, UK. Her PhD used creative approaches to explore the outcomes of treatment that mattered most to young people – and their parents – when receiving treatment for persistent musculoskeletal pain. Her work focuses on empowering young people both clinically and within research, and providing a platform to hear their under-represented viewpoint to improve quality of care.
Alexandra Neville, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA, in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, & Pain Medicine. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Calgary, Canada, and completed her pre-doctoral residency at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Alex’s research explores the phenomenon of diagnostic uncertainty among youth with chronic pain, their parents, and clinicians. Her work includes the first studies of associations between diagnostic uncertainty among youth with chronic pain and poorer pain-related outcomes, as well as findings reporting the way physicians manage uncertainty is critical to how a diagnosis of chronic pain is communicated, the investigations undertaken, and ultimately youths’ pain experiences. Her postdoctoral research is funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship.
Michael Skovdal Rathleff, PhD, Dr.Med., was trained as a physiotherapist, holds a PhD and higher doctoral degree within medical science (Dr.Med.) and leads the group for Musculoskeletal Health and Implementation at Aalborg University, Denmark. Michael has keen interest in understanding pain in adolescents and young adults with a specific focus on patellofemoral pain (one of the most common pain complaints in adolescents).
About the moderator
Kristian Kjær-Staal Petersen, PhD, Dr.Med., pursues his long-term mission to develop the concept “Personalized Mechanistic Pain Medicine” to provide the correct treatment to the right patient in a fast, evidence-based, and safe manner. Specifically, Kristian studies factors that modulate pain mechanisms and aims to target these mechanisms using tailored interventions to provide pain relief for patients with chronic pain. Current research focuses include: 1) development of pain assessment tools and models; 2) validation and reliability of these models and tools; and 3) clinical evaluation aiming at understanding pain mechanisms and predicting pain outcomes after treatment.