Chronic Pain and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Settings

Recruiting

• Conditions: Chronic Pain

• Registration Number: NCT04726423
• Lead Sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke

Brief Summary

Physical exercises and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are both known to reduce chronic pain in structured laboratory studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of this combined treatment in clinical settings.

Detailed Description

Chronic pain patients who are going to the physiotherapy clinic to receive tDCS treatment sessions are evaluated in order to assess the efficacy of tDCS in clinical settings. Physiotherapists prescribe physical exercises adapted to the patients conditions. Patients performed their physical exercises every time they received a tDCS treatment, but were also recommended to continue their physical exercises program at home after completion of physiotherapy visits.

Concerning tDCS treatment, patients were encouraged to receive 1 tDCS session per day for 5 consecutive days.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-01-04
• Study First Submitted: 2021-01-15
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-01-26
• Study First Posted: 2021-01-27
• Primary Completion: 2021-02-04
• Status Verified: 2023-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-07-10
• Last Update Posted: 2023-07-12
• Study Completion: 2023-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

• To have chronic pain

Exclusion Criteria

• Contraindication to tDCS

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Beck Depression Inventory	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month	Depression
Change in Patient global impression of change	1 week, 1 month	Impression of change
Change in Brief Pain Inventory	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month	Physical Function
Change in McGill pain Questionnaire	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month	qualitative and quantitative aspects of pain
Change in Tampa Questionnaire	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month	Kinesiophobia

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Side effect	Through study completion, an average of 5 days	Side effect reported by the patients (headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, redness, tingling)
Number of sessions received	Through study completion, an average of 5 days	Feasibility; did the patients received all their tDCS sessions in 5 days (1 per day)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Physio-Atlas; 🇨🇦 Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada