Pain Sciences

Course aim

The aim of this course is to further develop students’ understanding of health, pain and disability thereby enhancing their physiotherapy management skills.

Course content

Current models of clinical engagement of pain, the biopsychosocial model of pain, working pain definitions, basic molecular biology, neurobiology, peripheral and central pain mechanisms, stress biology and pain, integration of neurobiology into clinical reasoning models, pain deconstruction into pathobiological mechanisms, theory of mechanisms of modulation of pain, identification of risk factors for chronicity, pain measurement tools, pain management strategies via physiotherapy, merging biopsychosocial approaches into physiotherapy management, multidisciplinary pain management strategies, diagnostic dilemmas and common pain states, drug therapy, cultural and age influences on pain, placebo and nocebo.

Textbook(s)

Butler, DS & Moseley, GL 2013, Explain Pain, 2nd, Noigroup Publications, Adelaide

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Online forum, Written assignment, Written test

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 2)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.