Climent, a lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy and specialist in chronic pain and fibromyalgia, is adamant that “investing in physiotherapy should be a priority for the health system, because it not only improves patient outcomes, but also reduces long-term costs and decreases medication use and repeat doctor’s visits.” In this regard, she points out that, according to recent data, chronic pain affects more than eight million people in Spain and is disabling in 65% of cases. This represents a public health burden of upwards of €16 billion a year.

The researcher insists that chronic pain “is not simply a physical symptom, but a complex illness influenced by biological, psychological and social factors,” as indicated in the new pain classification from the International Association for the Study of Pain. She therefore promotes a person-centred biopsychosocial approach that takes into account each patient’s medical history, life context, emotions, beliefs and movement patterns.

Climent recalls that physiotherapy was one of the first fields to integrate pain neuroscience into clinical practice. “We now know that pain is not always an indication of tissue damage but may persist due to complex neurophysiological processes such as nociplastic pain, prior learning, emotions and social environment.”

She also stresses that physiotherapy should be the vehicle for pain education for patients. “This learning process helps them understand why they continue to have pain and what they can do about it, reducing fears and their dependency on the health system.”  According to Climent, pain education is “as important as exercise” and should be part of all physiotherapeutic treatments intended for people with chronic pain.