Certification Course is Eligible For Continuing Education Credits. See Details Below

Certification Course in Modern Chronic Pain Rehabilitation

A 4 month online course for healthcare and wellness professionals

Accredited by the California Physical Therapy Association

Continuing education credits available for several professions. See details below.

Reinvigorate Your Clinical Work

Simplified Pain Science

Get up to speed on principles of modern pain science.

Focus On Practical Skills

Apply pain science principles through practical skills.

Overcome Obstacles

Boost your confidence and learn a framework for evidence based care that also leaves room for creativity.

All I can say is WOW! I feel thoroughly reinvigorated as a clinician

— Elizabeth, Physical Therapist (United States)

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“My practice was positively impacted from the first lesson and I feel as if I have so much more to offer the patients I work with. I felt well supported and encouraged throughout and highly recommend this course for anyone treating those experiencing chronic pain.”

‍— Nikki Dennehy-Block, Registered Nurse (New Zealand)

“This course vastly improved my understanding of pain science and challenged me to apply pain science strategies to my patients each week. It is a versatile course that allows one to explore pain science at a elementary or deep level. Last but not least, it is the best value in pain science education.”

‍— Daniel Bordt, Physical Therapist (United States)

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Efficient

Weekly content modules are short and to the point

Certificate of Completion

‍Demonstrate your training to patients and colleagues

Convenience

Learn online, when you want, where you want

Reasonably Priced

Learning evidence-based-care shouldn't cost an arm-and-a-leg

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Full refund if a course doesn't meet your expectations (within 14 days of course start)

Supports Free Patient Resources

A portion of proceeds goes to the RetrainPain.org project to offer free patient resources

For Healthcare & Wellness Professionals

Physical Therapists

Physicians

Nurses

Psychologists

Personal Trainers

Occupational Therapists

Yoga Instructors

Chiropractors

Massage Therapists

Social Workers

Case Workers

Health Coaches

Course Topics

1. PATIENT EXPECTATIONS

In clinical practice, it’s common that some patients fail to improve or make progress even with the best treatment. In this section we explore how pain expectations (e.g. placebos and nocebos) influence pain symptoms. We will then show how to integrate these concepts into clinical practice to enhance patient outcomes.

2. OVERCOMING FEAR

Many healthcare professionals acknowledge the role of pain related fear, but don't feel equipped to help patients overcome these fears. In this section you will learn new discoveries about pain related fear AND practical tools to help patients re-engage in meaningful physical activity.

3. RELATIONSHIPS & PAIN

In this section of the we will explore the role of relationships in development and treatment of persistent pain. We will discuss early life experiences, social rejection, parent-child, partner , and patient - provider relationships. We will includes strategies for addressing these relationships as part of a pain rehabilitation treatment plan.

4. SIMPLIFYING MINDFUL MOVEMENT & MEDITATION

In this section of the course we will take a deep dive into the topic of body awareness and embodiment. We will explore mindful movement, meditation, and breath-work (pranayama). We'll focus on practical strategies for teaching pain specific techniques to patients, and address the common challenges in teaching "mind-body" techniques in the clinic.

5. EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC PAIN

Exercise is the gold standard for chronic pain, yet it seems to make many patients feel worse. In this section of the course, we will explore the physiology underlying exercise induced pain, and strategies to make exercise more comfortable for patients. We will also learn an entirely new framework for exercise that utilizes therapeutic movement from a non-biomechanical pain science perspective.

6. THE NEW SCIENCE OF PAIN

This section of the course takes a step away from the clinic to dive deeper into pain science concepts such as sensitization / habituation, pain vulnerability, maladaptive plasticity, and new perspectives on the neurobiology of the conscious lived experience of pain.

7. A FRESH APPROACH FOR MANUAL THERAPY

This section will explore the science of touch based therapies such as massage and manipulation. We will present practical strategies for integrating these treatments into patient care without reinforcing harmful beliefs or unhealthy reliance on passive treatment. We will also explore pain science concepts that open up new doors for creative application of these therapies.

8. TAMING STRESS

In this section, we will explore the role of stress (including PTSD) in the development and treatment of persistent. We will learn novel strategies for enhancing stress resiliency that can be integrated into a pain rehabilitation program

9. SLEEP & PAIN

In this section, we will explore the role of sleep in the development and treatment of persistent pain. We will also cover strategies for sleep enhancement that can be used by clinicians.

Instructor RECOMMENDATION

“Elan Schneider is a dynamic speaker and a natural born educator. He has an infectious curiosity, quick wit, and mindful approach to teaching that helps keeps students actively engaged in the learning process.”

- Dr. Teresa Miller PT, PhD, Associate Professor,
State University of New York

Instructor RECOMMENDATION

“Elan Schneider is committed, kind, considerate, and competent teacher. I learned a lot and I highly recommend this course!”

Julia Sebba, Physical Therapist, Brazil,

A note from the Course INstructor

This is the course I wish I had been able to take...

When I graduated physical therapy school, I was fascinated by the topic of persistent pain. Aside from my own chronic pain, I was confused and frustrated when working with patients who had chronic pain. Unfortunately, I struggled to find a course that would help me get up to speed on the topic - the pain science and the practical implementation.

I spent years trying to figure out how to provide effective therapy for patients with persistent pain. In my own learning journey, I sought out and consulted with leading pain scientists throughout the world to get their perspective, read hundreds of pain science articles, academic textbooks, and took advanced training courses in numerous rehabilitation approaches. This was all coupled with extensive trial and error in the clinic.

While I never found a perfect solution that works for all patients, I learned many valuable skills and a new style of clinical reasoning that has helped me overcome my own pain, and to assist hundreds of patients who came to me for therapy.

The course you are about to begin is designed to simplify the science, and help you become competent and confident in treating patients who have complex pain presentations. It's the course I wish I would have been able to take when I was a new grad.

I'm looking forward to learning together! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, or send me an email with any questions that you have about the course.

Dr. Elan Schneider, DPT

Course Creator,
Co-FOUNDER of the Retrainpain Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Course Instructor: Dr. Elan Schneider, DPT

Dr. Elan Schneider DPT is the co-founder (and content creator) of the Retrain Pain Foundation.

He is a physical therapist and certified yoga instructor who has worked clinically in hospitals and private practice, and served as the director of the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program at H&D Physical Therapy.

Dr. Schneider has been a lecturer at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and has delivered professional training seminars to hundreds of health care providers.

Lectures & Seminars

New York State Pain Conference
Global Sickle Cell Disease Network Global Conference
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Mt Sinai Hospital
Hospital of Special Surgery
Cornell University Hospital
Swedish Massage Institute
Northeast Business Group on Health
Con-Edison
Innovation Summit at Cleveland Clinic Medical Center
Private Medical & Physical Therapy Practices Throughout the United States

Physical Therapy - Continuing Education Credits

RetrainPain is an accredited continuing education sponsor by The California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA), and is also an accepted sponsor for CE credit by the following state APTA chapters*: ‍

Alaska, Arizona, [California], Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

The course provides 40 Continuing Education Hours (or 4 CE Units)

*Approval for additional state APTA chapters is via reciprocity arrangement with an existing APTA branch approval. It is recommended to double check with your individual state chapter before beginning the course to confirm that this remains accurate and updated information. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Health and Wellness Coaches - Continuing Education Credits

The RetrainPain online certification course provides 40 Continuing Education Hours, and is an accredited continuing education sponsor by the American Physical Therapy Association (California chapter).

The online course meets NBHWC requirements as an approved Continuing Education Provider. Health and Wellness coaches have the option of applying for continuing education credit directly with the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching for a nominal fee ($25) via a simple online petition and with the RetrainPain Certificate of Completion upon course completion.

For more information on the process, and a link to the petition, visit https://nbhwc.org/recertification-continuning-education/
Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Yoga teachers - Continuing Education Credits

The RetrainPain course meets the criteria set by the Yoga Alliance for approved continuing education courses. Each instructor can individually petition for CE credit via their personal online portal.
‍Yoga Alliance criteria, met by the RetrainPain Certification Course:
- The course is authored and taught by "A professional with significant experience and education in a subject related to at least one educational category.”
- The educational categories met are: Teaching Methods and Anatomy & Physiology

‍Educational categories can be seen in detail on this page.* For exact instructions on how to submit your hours, go to the Continuing Education FAQ section at the bottom of this page, to the question titled “How do I enter my Continuing Education hours?”

Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Wound Care and Ostomy Professionals - Continuing Education Credits

The RetrainPain online certification course provides 40 Continuing Education Hours, and is an accredited continuing education sponsor by the American Physical Therapy Association (California chapter).
‍
The APTA is an approved accrediting organization by The National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy (NAWCO) for continuing education credit for recertification of your license.*
For more information, visit: https://www.nawccb.org/continuing-education
*It is recommended to double check with NAWCO to confirm that this remains accurate and updated information. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Learning objectives

At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to:

‍Neurobiology:
- List several key physiological processes that are involved in acute and chronic pain perception
- Describe changes that occur throughout the nervous system during the transition from acute to chronic pain

‍Expectations & Emotions:
- Analyze patient statements to identify the presence of expectations and emotions, and integrate these perspectives into the treatment plan

‍Body Awareness & Mindful Movement
- Understand principles of interoception and body awareness
- Construct a chronic pain rehabilitation program incorporating mindful movement and stress reduction techniques based on these foundations

‍Sleep
- Classify common sleep problems and recognize the relationship between sleep function and fluctuations in pain
- Provide practical sleep-improvement strategies in clinical sessions

‍Pain & Exercise
- Understand the underlying physiology that is responsible for patient complaints of pain during exercise
- Apply exercise therapy within a biopsychosocial framework to target fear, self-efficacy, pacing, health promotion and sensory desensitization
- Recommend strategies to reduce and manage post-exercise flare-ups

‍Social Function
- Apply a “return to living” approach to chronic pain, recognizing the role of social function in pain management - such as social isolation, communication about pain, family involvement - and the importance of the therapeutic alliance

‍Manual Therapy
- Incorporate the science of somatosensation to adapt manual therapy techniques to patients with hypersensitivity to touch, while facilitating active patient involvement and empowerment for self-care

How long is the course and how much does it cost?

The online course is designed to be completed gradually over a period of 4 months. There are 16 weekly lessons, and each lesson has an average time to complete of 2.5 hours. The cost is $650 USD.

Will I get to interact with the instructor?

Students can schedule a 1 hour (or 2 half hour) phone or video conference sessions with the instructor. These sessions are available during working hours (European time zone).

Will I have access to the content after I complete the course?

Most of the content will remain available to you after the course ends.

Can I try it out first?

We do not offer a free trial, but we do have a satisfaction guarantee with a no-questions-asked full refund policy. Requests for refund must be made within the first 14 days of starting the course

When do I get the certificate?

After you finish the coursework you will take a comprehensive quiz. Upon successful completion, you will be awarded a Certification in Principles of Biopsychosocial Chronic Pain Rehabilitation.

What if I get busy with life and fall behind?

While it is very helpful to stay with the pace of the course, you can slow down if you need to for any reason.

Can I stay up all night and complete the course over a weekend?

Not exactly. While much of the content could be "consumed" in a few weekends, the goal of the course is to enhance clinical practice. It takes time to think through and practice applying the concepts with your patients or clients. As such, the course is deliberately paced over a longer period of time.

What format is the content?

The lesson materials are a mix of several multimedia formats including text, images, slides, and video.