In an effort to understand why people experience pain differently, Scott W. Lowe, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, an assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at PCOM Georgia, recently explored whether anxiety influences pressure-based pain sensitivity in people before they ever develop persistent pain.
While earlier research has shown connections between anxiety and heightened pain in people with persistent symptoms, Lowe noted that much less is known about whether these relationships exist before pain emerges.
“There has been a fair amount of previous research showing a link between anxiety and pain sensitivity, however, it has primarily focused on those who already have some persistent pain,” he explained. “My goal is to begin looking at potential risk factors that may be present in those who do not already have pain.”
The project, recently published in the Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy, also earned national recognition as a Top 3 “5x5 Platform Research” presentation at the 2025 Conference of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists in Reno, Nevada.
Lowe and three DPT student collaborators designed the work as a pilot study to collect early data that could support future research. The findings took an unexpected turn.
“In our research, which was designed to be a pilot study, we actually found no association between anxiety and pain for our asymptomatic subjects,” Lowe said. He added that the team now theorizes that anxiety is one of several modifying variables to the experience of pain.
Lowe and his team hope that other researchers will continue examining how psychological, biological, and social factors interact to shape pain responses.
By including three DPT students in the project from the beginning through publication, Lowe illustrated PCOM Georgia’s commitment to embedding research experiences within the program’s curriculum.
Lowe also incorporated the study’s findings into both his musculoskeletal and research methods courses. He further noted that for clinicians, the work “may assist them in considering the multifactorial nature of pain for each individual.”
As Lowe has looked for information to fill in his own knowledge gaps, he has learned that many of his questions have not been answered by the investigations of others. This has encouraged him to conduct research to see what new information can be found.
As Lowe tells his students, “The more you know, the more you realize you don't know.”
His advice to emerging physical therapists interested in research is straightforward: “Find a topic you are truly curious about, especially if it's something that has limited research already in existence.”
For students considering the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at PCOM Georgia, Lowe’s project highlights several program strengths:
By contributing to emerging knowledge in the field, Lowe and his student collaborators demonstrate how PCOM Georgia is working to shape the future of healthcare and physical therapy practice.
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