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Effects of Home-based Surface Electrical Stimulation for Patients with Cervical Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Myofascial Pain Syndrome of Neck
Interventions
Device: Surface electrical stimulation (SES)
Other: Remote medical support
Registration Number
NCT05972837
Lead Sponsor
Taipei Medical University WanFang Hospital
Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to compare the developed home-based surface electrical stimulation program to the controls in computer office workers with MPS.

Detailed Description

Cervical myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common problem among workers who have large amount of computer use. Additionally, owing to the high workload and long hours of staying in thier cubicle, the office employees are often unable to have extra time to receive rehabilitation and treatment regularly. A home-based surface electrical stimulation (SES) program is developed to help intervention be time-saving and more accessible for office-based staff busy at work.

In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, participants will be assigned to one of the following three groups and undergo 3 weeks (20 minutes/ time, three times/ week) of intervention:

1. SES combined with telemedical support

2. SES

3. No intervention

The outcome assessments will be performed before and after the intervention (0-wk and 4-wk) and 4 weeks after the endpoint of intervention (8-wk). The outcome assessor was blind to the intervention and group allocation.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
60
Inclusion Criteria
  • Time of using computer > 4hrs/day
  • Neck pain > 2 months
  • Diagnosis of cervical myofascial pain syndrome
  • VAS pain ≥ 3 (0~10)
Exclusion Criteria
  • Had a history of neck surgery
  • Pregnancy
  • Systematic disease (e.g. autoimmune disorders, arthritis, infection, etc.)
  • Malignancy
  • Neurological signs such as radiating pain, motor weakness in the upper extremities.
  • Skin defect or scars at the planned placement of SES
  • Pacemaker user
  • History of seizure attack
  • History of diabetes
  • Fear of receiving SES

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
SESSurface electrical stimulation (SES)Participants in this group will also attend an appointment via a video call with a rehabilitation doctor in the first week but no weekly telehealth visits. Only SES device for personal use and a user manual will be provided.
SES combined with telemedical supportRemote medical supportSES device for personal use will be provided for participants in addition to remote medical support.
SES combined with telemedical supportSurface electrical stimulation (SES)SES device for personal use will be provided for participants in addition to remote medical support.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain intensity4 weeks

A visual analog scale (VAS, scoring from 0-10) is used to measure a participant's pain intensity. The participant indicates their level of pain on average over the past 3 days.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain pressure threshold (kg/m2)8 weeks

The pain pressure threshold is measured by using a hand-held dynamometer.

Neck disability index (NDI, 0~100%)8 weeks

The NDI is a questionnaire used for assessing self-rated disability in patient participant with neck pain of mechanical origin.

Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI, scoring from 0~63)8 weeks

The BAI is a brief, self-report assessment for measuring anxiety severity and level.

Pain intensity8 weeks

A visual analog scale (VAS, scoring from 0-10) is used to measure a participant's pain intensity. The participant indicates their level of pain on average and at its worst during work or at rest over the past 3 days.

Range of motion of the neck8 weeks

The range of motion of the neck is measured by using motion capture system with the IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensors.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

WanFang Hospital

🇨🇳

New Taipei City, Taiwan

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