Pain Science and Exercise
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development of a pain science education and physical activity programme for people waiting for hip or knee replacement
IRAS ID
343257
Contact name
Katie Whale
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
This research seeks to develop a new programme to help people waiting for a joint replacement to be more active. We know that many people waiting for surgery worry that having pain when they exercise means they are damaging their joints more. However, being more active can help with pain management, and help people recover more quickly after surgery.
Pain science education helps people to understand what happens in the body when we feel pain. This can help people to feel more confident increasing their activity levels. Our programme will use pain science education and a personalised exercise programme to support people to keep physically active. We would like to understand:
What stops people from exercising or moving more?
What do people think happens to their joints when they have pain?
What kind of movement or exercise would people like to do?
What support would people like to be more active?
We will work with joint replacement patients and community groups to make sure the programme content is relevant, helpful, and accessible. First, we will carry out in-person patient workshops which include group activities (up to 8 patients per workshop). The aim of the workshops is to better understand people’s beliefs about pain, barriers to exercise, and how they like to exercise (e.g., group, individual, online). Second, we will carry out in-person focus groups with community group members from diverse backgrounds. The focus groups aim to understand support needed to exercise, and how to make the programme accessible and inclusive. We will use this information to create a draft programme. Finally, we will ask joint replacement patients for feedback on the draft programme, using think-aloud interviews (telephone, online, or in-person). Feedback will help us decide about changes to the programme content and delivery style.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0236
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jul 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion