a World of HURT: CNS Pain Mechanisms Patient Education & Exercise Course

About this event

Thank you for your interest in a World of HURT Course: Central Nervous System Pain Mechanisms Patient Education & Exercise Prescriptions coming to Lovelace Women's Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 20 -21, 2025. You can attend the course in person or virtual through zoom. The course will run on Mountain Standard Time and will take place 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM on Saturday and 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM on Sunday.

Who Should Attend: Physical and Occupational Therapists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Medical Doctors, Psychologists, Athletic Trainers, Massage Therapists, Personal Trainers, and any other practitioners who are involved in treating musculoskeletal pain and prescribing exercise.

There is not a prerequesite or requiement to attend this course. Our hope is that you will take the individual courses that you need for your own clinical practice and professional development.

Please use the email to sign up that you would like course communciations sent to. Some work emails block google drive documents from being delivered. Please keep this in mind when signing up.

Group Discount: If you do not work for Lovelace and you have a group of clinicians (3 or more) who would like to attend together from another company or location (virtually or in person), please use WOHGROUP for a 10% discount at checkout.

Student Pricing: If you are a current student in a healthcare program, please use WOHSTUDENT as the promo code to attend the course for $199.

Single Day: If you are unable to attend both days, please email worldofhurt2@gmail.com for a one day promo code.

"a World of Hurt: A Guide to Classifying Pain" Text Book: The course matierial is taught from the book a World of HURT: A Guide to Classifying Pain” © 2023, World of Hurt LLC. It is not required to purchase the book prior to the course, but it is recommended. Purchase a World of Hurt Book: Click Here.

The book “a World of Hurt: A Guide to Classifying Pain” collaborates two proven mechanism classification systems to treat the Pain Continuum from Acute to Chronic. Collaborating the best of pain science education, specific exercise prescriptions and healthy lifestyle eating recommendations. These Words Moves and Foods interventions effectively treat musculoskeletal and neurological pain and spasticity based on the dominating peripheral or central mechanism. The principles from a World of HURT has been widely tested, used in many health care systems and private clinical settings, multidiscipline seminars, and university curricula. Clinicians, payers, and patients all benefit from the common language and insight provided by this resource. Six training courses assure a mechanism classification approach into clinical practice.

Continuing Education: Physical Therapists and Occupational Thearpists in New Mexico approval for 14 CEUs pending. All information needed for course submission in any state for any healthcare profession will be provided to each participant. World of HURT Courses have been accepted in many states by many professsions including DC, ATC, Personal Trainer, OT, Psycholgy, MD, RN, ND, etc

Course PDF: Documents will be emailed from the worldofhurt2@gmail.com email 5 days prior to the course. It is recommended to bring a copy of the PDF to the course by printing or electronically so that you can take notes and reference the PDF during the course.

Course Questions: Please don't hesitate to reach out via email at worldofhurt2@gmail.com for any questions or concerns. For any questions regarding travel, navigating on the day of the course, please contact Lea Arreglo at (506) 469- 7290. Lea works at Lovelace Women's Hospital and lives in the area.

Course Descritiption: This two-day course focuses information critical to the assessment and treatment of patients dominated by Central Nervous System (CNS) Pain Mechanisms. The course will aid the sub grouping of CNS mechanisms into Central Sensitivity, Affective and Motor / Autonomic mechanisms. Incorporating the scientific literature and strategies for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) approaches promoting when best utilized for each pain sub group. This course will present specific patient motivational pain science education approaches, specific functional exercise prescriptions and CNS sensorimotor retraining. Outlining Chapter Six, Seven & Eight of “A World of Hurt: A Guide to Classifying Pain”, pain clinicians will learn how to assess and classify CNS pain mechanisms including, Central Sensitivity, Affective and Motor / Autonomic utilizing psychometric measures, outcome measures, CNS sensory and motor evaluations. This course will focus on specific interventions of pain science patient education topics, patient readiness questionnaire, motivational interviewing strategies, graded exposure functional return and sensorimotor retraining for each CNS dominated pain mechanism. Video, paper cases and live patient demonstrations (when available) will aid application to each clinician’s practice by understanding the importance of the “words” and “moves” necessary to reverse CNS pain mechanisms.

Course Objectives: At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

1) Differentiate subjective and objective clinical characteristics for the CNS pain mechanisms: central sensitization, affective and motor/autonomic.

2) Classify CNS paper and video patient cases.

3) Utilize psychometric test questionnaires (PHQ-9, PASS, FABQ) and the Yellow Flag Risk Form in individualizing pain science education, referral to psychology and interdisciplinary programs.

4) Demonstrate cognitive behavior treatment of pain neuroscience education for all CNS pain mechanisms.

5) Demonstrate objective evaluation tests for motor/autonomic sensorimotor dysfunctions.

6) Utilize strategies related to patient readiness involving ACT and MI approaches.

Course Schedule

Day 1: Saturday September 20

7:30: Course Introduction

7:45: Lecture: Pain Mechanism Classification System (PMCS) – Definitions, Research, & Clinical Practice Considerations

9:00: Interactive Workshop: Discussion how pain mechanism classification fits into your clinical practice? Role play foundational Pain Science Education topics.

9:30: Break

9:45: Lecture: Central Sensitization, Affective, Motor/Autonomic Pain Mechanisms Subjective & Objective Characteristics – Patient Education and Active Care Interventions

10:45: Interactive Workshop: CNS Paper Cases Classification Exercise & Debrief

12:00: Lunch

1:00: Lecture: Progress Monitoring & Motivation: Yellow Flag Risk Form, Psychometric Tests – FABQ, PHQ-9

1:30: Interactive Workshop: Central Sensitization & Affective Pain Mechanisms CBT Pain Science Education and Active Care Intervention (Video Patient Cases), Patient Education Handouts

2:30: Lecture: Documentation and Goal Setting

3:00: Break

3:15: Interactive CBT Workshop & Debrief: Role-playing clinician and patient pain science topics: Explaining CNS mechanisms & Brain’s Role in Pain, Traffic Light Guide to Movement Safe Pain, Pain Journal, Batteries Exercise

4:15: Case Discussion/Questions & Answers

5:30: Adjourn

Day 2: Sunday September 21

7:30: Lecture: Patient Education Appendix and Resources

8:15: Lecture: Psychometric Measures (FABQ, PASS, PHQ-9)

8:45: Interactive Workshop: Review Personality Tests and Therapeutic Alliance strengths and weakness

9:15: Break

9:30: Lecture: Affective Pain Mechanism: Readiness for Treatment Precontemplation & Contemplation Stages: What approach When? Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT); Readiness Questionnaire

10:45: Demonstration / Interactive Workshop: Set the Scene and Act the Part: Observe and actively participate in live demonstrations of role-playing tough clinician and patient scenarios; how to use your words to motivate, direct treatment, and guide the patient to take the lead in their care.

12:00: Lunch & Learn

1:00: Lecture: Motor/Autonomic Pain Mechanism Subjective and Objective Characteristics, CNS Sensory and Motor Evaluation Objective Tests

1:45: Demonstration / Interactive Workshop: CNS Motor & Sensory Evaluation Objective Tests Demonstration

2:00 Summary & Questions/Answers

2:30: Adjourn