Description: Pain is not simply a signal from damaged tissue, it is an output constructed by the central nervous system, shaped by the patient’s psychological and cognitive state. When pain becomes chronic, its consequences reach well beyond the injured tissue into muscle function, cognition, and mental health, including a meaningfully elevated risk of suicide. This session connects pain neuroscience to the practical question every athletic trainer faces: what should I be screening for, and what do I do with a positive result?

Objectives: The Neuroscience of Pain: Participants will trace nociception from peripheral receptor through the dorsal horn and thalamus to cortical processing, and examine why pain is best understood as an output of the brain rather than a direct measure of tissue damage. Acute vs. Chronic Pain: This session contrasts protective, time-limited acute pain with chronic pain that persists beyond normal healing (≥ 3 months), and explains how central sensitization, hyperalgesia, allodynia, and nociplastic mechanisms, drives the transition. Downstream Effects of Chronic Pain: Attendees will analyze how chronic pain compounds across muscle tonicity, cognitive function, and mental health, including the bidirectional cycle in which pain worsens mood and low mood amplifies pain. Suicide Prevention: Chronic pain is an independent risk factor for suicidality. The session reviews warning signs such as hopelessness, sleep disruption, mental defeat, and perceived burdensomeness, and establishes why a referral pathway must exist before screening begins. Assessment & Screening: Participants will compare validated, clinic-ready instruments, PHQ-2/PHQ-9, GAD-2/GAD-7, PROMIS Depression 8a, and the ÖMPSQ-SF, by domain, length, and recall window, and apply a tiered pre-screen to full-screen escalation model. Practical Application: Using a four-step Screen → Escalate → Act → Track workflow and a case scenario, attendees will leave with the framework for a one-page screening-and-referral protocol they can implement in their clinic.

Status: Active

Activity Difficulty Level: Essential

Domains:

• Assessment
• Evaluation and Diagnosis
• Risk Reduction
• Wellness and Health Literacy
• Therapeutic Intervention

Format: Virtual Synchronous - Live

Dual Credentials and JA: Athletic Trainers Only

Presenter(s): Michael E. Chapman

Start Date & Time: 10/30/2026 12:00 PM CDT

End Date & Time: 10/30/2026 01:00 PM CDT

Cost: $0.00

Capacity: 200

CEUs: 1