Skip to main content
. 2022 Nov 10;13:1046613. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1046613

TABLE 2.

Contents of the FIBROWALK program (i.e., Pain Neuroscience Education, Therapeutic Exercise, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness Training).

Pain neuroscience education (PNE)
1. Disassembling beliefs
2. Danger signals: modulation and modification
3. Concept of pain, fatigue, and pain system
4. Concept of central nervous system and central sensitization. The role of the brain
5. Acute vs. chronic pain: The purpose of acute pain and how it originates in the nervous central system
6. Pain vs. damage
7. Pain neuromatrix theory and representation of the virtual body
8. Nociception, nociceptors, action potential, peripheral sensitization, and synapses
9. Ascending and descending inhibitory pathways, spinal cord
10. Relationship with attention, perception, pain cognitions, and pain behaviors
11. Allodynia and hyperalgesia, hypersensitivity of the nervous central system
12. Pain memory, pain perception, and autoimmune evaluation error
13. Relationship with stress. Etiology
14. Neuroplasticity and how the pain becomes chronic
15. Relationship with emotions
16. Re-education, gradual activity, and therapeutic exercise
Therapeutic Exercise (TE)
1. Essential and necessary movement
2. Set a basal minimum of activity
3. Individualized gradual program
4. Small increases, patterns
5. Activities contingent on the task, not over time
6. Involvement in the tasks of daily life
7. Lifestyle change: cognitive coping strategies
8. Double tasks: focused on the following cognitive/affective targets: positive affect, negative affect, self-efficacy, catastrophic thinking, pain and fatigue
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
1. Relaxation and breathing
2. Modulating factors of pain
3. Catastrophizing and fear of movement (fear avoidance model)
4. Painful experiences: confrontation (fear avoidance model)
5. Vital values and setting goals
6. Organization of time
7. Sleep patterns
8. Sexual issues
9. Handling of attention
10. Cognitive restructuring
11. Emotional regulation tasks focused on identifying and promoting a more adaptive use of the following cognitive/affective regulation skills: self-blame, acceptance, rumination, focus on the positive, focus on plans, positive reassessment, put in perspective, catastrophizing, blaming others
12. Troubleshooting
Mindfulness Training (MT)
1. An Introduction to Body Scanning
2. Elementary Awareness
3. Sitting Practice and introduction to Yoga
4. Mindfulness and the brain
5. Mindfulness and communication: guilt, empathy, and conflict management
6. Responding vs. reacting
7. Dig deeper into personal practice
8. Mindfulness and Compassion: Strength vs. Cooperation
9. Stress Management
10. Thoughts Management
11. Management of difficult emotions or feelings
12. Dig deeper into personal practice

Note: More details on the interventions and program-associated materials and clinical guidelines (Serrat et al., 2022b) can be accessed through a reasonable request to the corresponding author.