Effects of Early Sleep After Action Observation and Motor Imagery After Metacarpal Fracture Surgery

Istituto Clinico Humanitas

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Action Observation; Hand Injuries; Motor Imagery

Treatments: Behavioral: Action observation plus motor imagery; Behavioral: Control; Behavioral: Action observation plus motor imagery followed by sleep

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06306885

CLF23/03

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study aimed to investigate the effects of early sleep after action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) training sessions on manual dexterity in patients with hand immobilization after surgical fixation for metacarpals and phalanges fractures.

Fifty-one patients with hand immobilization for surgical fixation of IV or V metacarpals or first phalanges fractures will be randomized into AOMI-sleep (n=17), AOMI-control (n=17), and Control (n=17) group. AOMI-sleep and AOMI-control groups will perform an AOMI-training before sleeping or in the morning respectively, while Control group will be asked to observe landscape video-clips. Participants will be assessed for manual dexterity, hand range of motion, hand disability and quality of life at baseline before and after the training and at 1 month after the training end.

Full description

The study aimed to investigate the effects of early sleep after action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) training sessions on manual dexterity in patients with hand immobilization after surgical fixation for metacarpals and phalanges fractures.

Fifty-one patients with right hand immobilization for surgical fixation of IV or V metacarpals or first phalanges fractures will be randomized into an AOMI-sleep (n=17), AOMI-control (n=17), and Control (n=17) group. AOMI-sleep and AOMI-control groups will perform a 2-week AOMI-training including transitive manual dexterity tasks between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. or between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. respectively, while Control group participants will be asked to observe landscape video-clips between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Participants will be assessed for manual dexterity (Purdue Pegboard Test and kinematic indexes during Nine Hole Peg Test), hand range of motion (Total Active Motion) hand disability (Quick-DASH) and quality of life (EQ5D) at baseline (1 week after surgery), training end (3 weeks after surgery) and 1 month after the training end (7 weeks after surgery).

Enrollment: 51 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Surgical fixation for IV or V MTC or P1 fracture at the level of the right hand
• Age 18-40 years old
• Right-hand dominance

Exclusion criteria

• Damage to additional hand structure requiring surgery (e.g. tendons, ligaments and nerves)
• Occurrence of left upper limb injuries
• Post-surgical complications (e.g. CPRS)
• Immobilization <12 or >30 days
• Diagnosis of neurological/musculoskeletal conditions
• Sports or activities requiring advanced manual skills or sleep deprivation
• History of psychiatric disorders
• Sleep disorders (e.g. insomnia, OSAS, REN or Non-REM behavioural disorders)
• Medication affecting the physiological sleep pattern

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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51 participants in 3 patient groups

AOMI-sleep

Experimental group

Description:

Observation and imagination of video-clips with motor contents before sleeping

Treatment:

Behavioral: Action observation plus motor imagery followed by sleep

AOMI-control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Observation and imagination of video-clips with motor contents in the morning

Treatment:

Behavioral: Action observation plus motor imagery

Control

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Observation and imagination of landscapes video-clips

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control