Body Representation and Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Spinal Cord Injury

• Registration Number: NCT06794242
• Lead Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Brief Summary

Chronic pain is one of the main complications of spinal cord injury, has a very negative impact on quality of life, and persists over time despite the use of analgesic treatments. Several types of pain are possible in patients with spinal cord injury, and neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to the spinal cord, in this case) is one of the most difficult to treat, even with medication. Following an injury to the spinal cord, it is possible for the representation of the body to change as a result of sensorimotor deficits, prolonged changes in body posture and altered mobility. At present, the causes of chronic pain after spinal cord injury remain poorly understood and debated, but one hypothesis suggests that changes in body representation may play a key role in the development or worsening of neuropathic pain. To test this hypothesis, we will assess the perception of spinal cord injured patients (and a group of controls) of the size of their legs using a virtual reality device. This measurement will enable us to examine whether under- or over-estimation of leg length correlates with the presence of neuropathic pain in patients. Chronic pain in people with spinal cord injury is associated with an increased risk of stress, depression and anxiety, and understanding and treating neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury is a major issue in their management.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-01
• Study First Submitted: 2025-01-21
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-01-21
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-01-21
• Study First Posted: 2025-01-27
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-27
• Study Start: 2025-04
• Primary Completion: 2027-05
• Study Completion: 2027-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 80

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Différences in leg length estimation between controls and patients in the length representation test.	From baseline up to a maximum of 2 weeks	We will measure the difference between the representation of the length of the lower limbs of controls and spinal cord injured patients. This difference will be assessed using the Point of Subjective Equality (defined as the size of the avatar's legs perceived by the participant as corresponding to the length of their legs) with a two-sample Mann Whitney test (two-tailed) (controls and patients)

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Pierre Wertheimer Neurological Hospital; 🇫🇷 Bron, France

Henry Gabrielle Hospital; 🇫🇷 Saint Genis-Laval, France