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Preliminary Muscle Contraction in the Rehabilitation and Prevention of Degenerative Pain in the Locomotor System

Not Applicable
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Pain, Back
Arthropathy of Knee
Pain, Shoulder
Pain Syndrome
Pain, Neck
Pain, Hip Burning
Arthropathy of Hip
Interventions
Behavioral: Standard advice and Preliminary muscle contraction
Behavioral: Standard advice
Registration Number
NCT06415825
Lead Sponsor
Medical University of Sofia
Brief Summary

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of muscle preliminary contraction in the rehabilitation and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty. HYPOTHESIS: Muscle preliminary contraction has a significant short-term and long-term effect in the rehabilitation and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty. RESEARCH METHODS: At least 216 patients with degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty, will be studied. They will be randomized into pairwise sub-groups. All will receive standard advice. The maneuver sub¬groups will receive additional advice - preliminary contraction of the muscles in the corresponding kinesiology segment. This advice will be embedded in all motor activities of daily living involving the relevant area. The following follow-up parameters will be used: visual analogue pain scale, manual muscle testing, goniometry, centimeter, and preliminary contraction success rate. Their follow-up will be threefold - at the beginning, after 1, and after 6 months. For statistical processing, multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA), with post hoc Bonferroni multiple tests, and Pearson correlation analysis, with post hoc regression analysis, will be used. CONCLUSION: The positive results will allow the preliminary muscle contraction to be used as a universal tool in the rehabilitation, prevention, and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty (international contribution). This maneuver is very short (seconds), easy (everybody can perform it), does not require the allocation of time, space, and resources (including financial ones), and is instantly incorporated into everyday life.

Detailed Description

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of muscle preliminary contraction in the rehabilitation and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty. SCIENTIFIC IDEA: Muscle latency (M1, M2, triggered response, proprioceptive visual/vestibular responses, and M3) leads to chronic damage. During the first 50-200 milliseconds of the movement, there is no internal muscular protective counterforce against external loads on discs, joints, ligaments, insertions, etc. inert structures (including arthroplastic ones), happening thousands of times a day. This leads to repetitive cumulative microtrauma with damage to the "pneumatic hammer" principle, as well as faster wear in arthroplasties. Precontraction of muscles eliminates latency and stabilizes inert (and arthroplastic) structures. WORKING HYPOTHESIS: Muscle preliminary contraction has a significant short-term and long-term effect in the rehabilitation and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty. RESEARCH METHODS: At least 216 patients with degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty, will be studied. They will be randomized into pairwise sub-groups. All will receive standard advice. The maneuver sub¬groups will receive additional advice - preliminary contraction of the muscles in the corresponding kinesiology segment. This advice will be embedded in all motor activities of daily living involving the relevant area. The following follow-up parameters will be used: visual analogue pain scale, manual muscle testing, goniometry, centimeter, and preliminary contraction success rate. Their follow-up will be threefold - at the beginning, after 1, and after 6 months. For statistical processing, multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA), with post hoc Bonferroni multiple tests, and Pearson correlation analysis, with post hoc regression analysis, will be used. CONCLUSION: The positive results will allow the preliminary muscle contraction to be used as a universal tool in the rehabilitation, prevention, and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty (international contribution). This maneuver is very short (seconds), easy (everybody can perform it), does not require the allocation of time, space, and resources (including financial ones), and is instantly incorporated into everyday life.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
216
Inclusion Criteria
  • age over 18 years;
  • legal capacity;
  • patients with recurrent degenerative pain (at least two relapses in the last 12 months), in various joints (vertebral, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and knee), in an exacerbation stage (started up to 2 weeks before recruitment), occurring with periodic exacerbations and remissions (relapse duration of more than 24 hours, preceded and separated by remission of at least 1 month);
  • with excitatory (painful) symptoms (but without ablated ones - without paresis, paralysis, and pelvic-reservoir damage);
  • as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty.
Exclusion Criteria
  • age under 18,
  • incapacity;
  • neurological symptoms have disappeared (paresis, paralysis, and pelvic-reservoir disorders),
  • macro-injuries (fractures, dislocations, distortions),
  • structural anomalies, severe osteoporosis, infectious diseases, febrility, malignant diseases, specific inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylarthritis, etc.), mental diseases, increased tendency to bleed (hemophilia, etc.), as well as cardiovascular vascular, respiratory, liver, kidney and metabolic damage with marked failure.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
With pre-contr.Standard advice and Preliminary muscle contractionThe patients will receive standard advice and an additional one - preliminary contraction of the muscles in the corresponding kinesiology segment.
With pre-contr.Standard adviceThe patients will receive standard advice and an additional one - preliminary contraction of the muscles in the corresponding kinesiology segment.
Without pre-contr.Standard adviceThe patients will receive standard advice.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Visual analogue pain scaleAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

To assess the intensity of pain on a visual analog scale, a 10 centimeters segment is drawn on a piece of paper. The patient notes the intensity of pain on this line between the left end of the line (0=no pain) and the right end (10=maximum pain intensity). The result is registered in centimeters - from 0 to 10 centimeters.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Manual muscle testingAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Muscle strength is verified against the examiner's manual resistance and grading on a 0 to 5 scale accordingly: 0 - No movement; 1 - Flicker of movement; 2 - Through full range actively with gravity counterbalanced; 3 - Through full range actively against gravity; 4 -Through full range actively against some resistance; 5 - Through full range actively against strong resistance. For statistical comparability and prognostic value, this scale will be transformed into percentages of the norm: 0=0%; 1=14.29%; 2=35.72%; 3=57.14%; 4=78.57%; 5=100%.

Range of motionAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Each specific joint has a range of motion that is expressed in degrees measured by goniometer. For statistical comparability and prognostic value, the angular degrees will be transformed into percentages of the norm from 0 to 100%.

Ott's testAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Ott's test is performed from a standing position. A 30 cm descending segment from the processus spinosus of C7 is measured (in the caudal direction) and the two points are marked. Maximum flexion of the torso is performed by bending the body forward and downward. From the final flexion position, the distance between the two marked points is measured. The increase in the distance between the two points is registered. Reference values are from 2.5 to 5 cm., i.e. under 2.5 cm. is considered hypomobility, and over 5 cm. - hypermobility.

Preliminary muscle contraction success rateAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Success rate refers to how often patients remember to perform preliminary muscle contraction. For example, if this maneuver is skipped every second movement (standing, sitting, bending, standing, lifting, etc.), the success rate is 50%, every third - 77%, every fourth - 85%, and so on.

Centimeter measurementsAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Centimeter measurements of circumferences of kinetic segments for verification of muscle hypotrophy - in centimeters.

Thomayer's testAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Thomayer's test is performed from a standing position with maximum flexion of the torso, bending the body forward and down with relaxed arms to the floor. The distance from the tip of the extended fingers to the floor is measured in centimeters. Inability to reach the floor with fingers is considered limited ROM (centimeters with a negative sign), when touching the floor with fingers - normal ROM (0 centimeters), and when touching the floor with palms - hypermobility (centimeters with a positive sign).

Schober's testAt baseline, at 1 month, and at 6 months.

Schober's test is performed from a standing position. A 15 cm descending segment from the processus spinosus of L1 (in the caudal direction) is measured and the two points are marked. Maximum flexion of the torso is performed by bending the body forward and downward. From the final flexion position, the distance between the two marked points is measured. The increase in the distance between the two points is recorded. The reference values are from 2.5 to 5 cm., i.e. under 2.5 cm. is considered hypomobility, and over 5 cm. - hypermobility.

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