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Photobiomodulation Therapy and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Chronic Neck Pain Patients

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Chronic Neck Pain
Interventions
Device: Active PBM
Device: Active TENS
Device: Placebo PBM
Device: Placebo TENS
Registration Number
NCT04020861
Lead Sponsor
Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos
Brief Summary

This study evaluates the efficacy isolated and combinaded of photobiomodulation therapy with low level laser therapy and the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Detailed Description

Non-specific chronic neck pain patients will be treated with low-level laser therapy and/or trancutaneous electricam nerve stimulation. They will receive 10 sessions of treatment. Before and after the treatment physical measures and psychosocial factors will be evaluted to verificy the efficay these electrophysical agents.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
144
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients with non-specific chronic neck pain, defined as pain or discomfort in the posterior cervical region between the superior nuchal line and the first thoracic spinous process and / or shoulder girdle;
  • Neck pain for at least 3 months;
  • Neck Disability Index (NDI) score of 5 points or higher;
  • Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score of 3 or higher to pain intensity;
  • Aged between 18 and 65 years;
  • Men and women
Exclusion Criteria
  • Neck pain associated with nerve root compromise (measured by clinical examination of dermatomes, myotomes and reflexes);
  • Previous spinal surgery;
  • Patients treated with physical therapy for neck pain in the last 3 months previous the study;
  • Severe spinal disorders such as fractures, tumors, inflammatory and infectious diseases;
  • Any contraindication to low level laser therapy or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation;
  • Rheumatic, metabolic, neurological or cardiopulmonary diseases;
  • Patients who require artificial cardiac pacemakers;
  • Skin diseases, mainly at the current application site;
  • Tumors or cancer historic in the last 5 years;
  • Pregnancy;
  • If the patient started any physical activity in the last 2 weeks.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
FACTORIAL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
PBM + TENSActive TENSThe patients will be submitted to the active PBM and active TENS
TENSActive TENSThe patients will be submitted to the placebo PBMT and active TENS
TENSPlacebo PBMThe patients will be submitted to the placebo PBMT and active TENS
PBM + TENSActive PBMThe patients will be submitted to the active PBM and active TENS
PBMPlacebo TENSThe patients will be submitted to the active PBMT and placebo TENS
PlaceboPlacebo PBMThe patients will be submitted to the placebo PBMT and placebo TENS.
PlaceboPlacebo TENSThe patients will be submitted to the placebo PBMT and placebo TENS.
PBMActive PBMThe patients will be submitted to the active PBMT and placebo TENS
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain intensity: Numerical Rating Scale (Pain NRS)2 weeks after randomization

Pain intensity will be evaluated using an 11-point (0-10) Numerical Rating Scale (Pain NRS), which is a simple and easy-to-use measuring scale that consists of a sequence of numbers from zero to 10, in which zero represents "no pain" and 10 represents "the worst pain imaginable". The pain evaluation will be carried out verbally with the patient reporting the pain intensity.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Neck disability2 weeks after randomization

Neck disability will be evaluated using neck disability index (NDI) that consists of a 10-item questionnaire that assess the impact of pain on daily activities using a score from 0 to 5 for each section, with higher values indicating more severe impact.

Cervical range of motion2 weeks after randomization

Cervical range of motion will be measured with a fleximeter

Pain catastrophizing2 weeks after randomization

Pain catastrophizing will be performed with Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) - The PCS is a self-administered questionnaire that consists of 13 items to assess catastrophizers. The items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale in which both intensity and frequency information are represented, with the following five levels of response for each Likert item: (0) not at all, (1) to a slight degree, (3) to a moderate degree, (4) to a great degree, (5) and all the time. The total score is computed by summation of all items and the total score ranges from 0 to 52 points. Higher scores indicate greater catastrophic pain.

Pain intensity: Numerical Rating Scale (Pain NRS)6 weeks after randomization

Pain intensity will be evaluated using an 11-point (0-10) Numerical Rating Scale (Pain NRS), which is a simple and easy-to-use measuring scale that consists of a sequence of numbers from zero to 10, in which zero represents "no pain" and 10 represents "the worst pain imaginable". The pain evaluation will be carried out verbally with the patient reporting the pain intensity.

Pressure Pain Threshold2 weeks after randomization

Pressure pain threshold (PPT) in the neck, shoulder girdle and anterior tibialis muscle will be measured using a Somedic Type II pressure algometer

Global perceived effect (GPE)2 weeks and 6 weeks after randomization

Global perceived effect will be evaluated by an 11 - point (- 5 to + 5) Global Perceived Effect Scale. It consists of an 11-point scale that ranges from -5 (vastly worse) through 0 (no change) to 5 (completely recovered).

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM)2 weeks after randomization

The conditioned stimulus for eliciting CPM will be the cold pressor test (Cold Water Bath test to the hand) and the test stimulus will be the assessment of PPT on the upper trapezius muscle.

Depressive symptoms2 weeks after randomization

The depressive symptoms will be performed using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The scale consists of items including symptoms and attitudes whose intensity range from neutral to a maximum level of severity, rated from 0 to 3.

Change in patient perception of quality of life:12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12)2 weeks after randomization

The quality of life will be performed using 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) version 2 questionnaire. This is a self-report measure that assesses physical (Physical Component Summary - PCS) and mental (Mental Component Summary - MCS) health on a scale of 0 - 100. Higher scores represent better levels of quality of life.

Pain intensity at movement: Numerical Rating Scale (Pain NRS)2 weeks after randomization

Pain intensity will be evaluated during the cervical movements of flexion, extension, right and left lateral inclination and right and left rotation, using an 11-point (0-10) Numerical Rating Scale (Pain NRS)

Analgesic intake2 weeks after randomization

Anlgesic intake will be evaluated asking to the patients all analgesic medications (opioids and non-opioids) taken one week prior to evaluation and during the treatment.

Pain temporal summation (TS)2 weeks after randomization

Temporal summation (TS) will be induced by a pressure algometer. Ten (10) stimuli with a pressure of 40 kPa/s of the mean value of algometry performed prior on the upper trapezius. Patients will be asked about their pain using NRS at the first, fifth and tenth stimulus.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Federal University São Carlos

🇧🇷

São Carlos, SP, Brazil

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