SENSORY RE-TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN

Hacettepe University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Neck Muscle Issue; Cervical Pain; Neck Pain, Posterior; Cervical Pain, Posterior; Neck Pain

Treatments: Other: Control Group; Other: Proprioceptive Training Exercise; Other: Tactile Acuity Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05605132

Neck Pain

Details and patient eligibility

About

It is known that tactile acuity and proprioceptive sense decrease in patients with chronic neck pain. However, sensory re-training in patients with chronic neck pain has not been given sufficient importance. The effects of proprioceptive and tactile acuity training on pain intensity in patients with chronic neck pain will be compared in this study. Eligible participants will be divided into three groups as follows: Proprioceptive Training Group (PTG), Tactile Acuity Training Group (TAG), and Control Group (CG). The randomization will be performed using the block randomization method to obtain an equal number of participants in the groups. Each participant will be evaluated two times at a 4-week interval. Participants will be evaluated regarding subjective pain intensity by using a Numerical Rating Scale, temporal summation, and conditioned pain modulation using an algometer (JTECH Medical-Algometer Commander, USA). Neck proprioception exercises will be applied to the patients in the PTG at 3 days a week for 4 weeks. Tactile acuity training will be applied to the patients in the TAG 3 days a week for 4 weeks. Between the two assessments, the Control Group will not receive any treatment.

Enrollment: 57 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• to be aged between 20-60 years old
• Pain limited to the posterior of the cervical region.
• Pain that lasts longer than 3 months
• Pain severity of 3 or higher on the Visual Analog Scale

Exclusion criteria

• Malignant tumor in any part of the body (no screening will be performed for the presence of tumor and patients diagnosed with tumors before the study will not be included).
• Vertebral fractures
• Fibromyalgia
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• History of surgery in the neck or shoulder area
• Radicular pain
• Neurological deficit of disc pathologies
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Pronounced cervical kyphosis
• Significant scoliosis involving the cervical region

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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57 participants in 3 patient groups

Proprioceptive Training Group

Experimental group

Description:

oculomotor exercises will be applied to the participants three times a week for four weeks. oculomotor exercises: head relocation gaze stability eye follow saccadic eye movement head and eye coordination

Treatment:

Other: Proprioceptive Training Exercise

Tactile Acuity Training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be requested to lie face down. Five points will be marked in the painful areas on the right and left sides of the neck. The distance between the points will equal the two-point discrimination value. A photograph of the neck will be taken. The patient will not see his/her own neck during the application but see the photograph of his/her neck. The points will be touched lightly with two different stimuli (a pen with a 2 mm diameter and a mushroom probe with an 11 mm diameter). Participants will be asked about the location and type of the stimuli. The interstimulus interval will be 15 seconds. If more than 90% of correct answers are obtained, the distance between the points will be reduced by 10%. The training will be performed in three separate blocks, a total of 72 stimuli (block duration = 6 minutes, rest time between blocks = 3 minutes, number of stimuli applied in each block = 24 stimuli). The treatment time will be 24 minutes.

Treatment:

Other: Tactile Acuity Training

Control Group

Sham Comparator group

Description:

The participants will be evaluated two times at 4-week intervals. No intervention will be applied during the time frame.

Treatment:

Other: Control Group