Pain Assessment and Intervention from a Psychophysiological Perspective   [Archived Catalog]
2019-2020 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook
   

PH 515 - Pain Assessment and Intervention from a Psychophysiological Perspective


This course describes the underlying psychophysiology of pain and summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of evidence supporting the efficacy of self-regulatory interventions for prevention and reduction of various pain problems. Interactions between pain, stress, and muscle tension are emphasized. Extensive examples of how to perform psychophysiological interventions for various psychophysiologically maintained and magnified pain states are provided. The pathophysiology of migraine, tension, cluster, rebound, medication induced, and other types of headaches is reviewed. Current schema for differential diagnosis of the various types of headache are discussed in relation to interactions between behavioral medicine providers, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and other health care providers. The evidence supporting the efficacy of behavioral interventions for various types of headaches is reviewed. Detailed examples of patient education and training materials are provided along with typical behavioral training regimes and pathways. 3 credit(s)