Acute Effects of Action Observation on Neck Pain

Neck Pain Clinical Trial

Official title:

Acute Effects of Action Observation on Pain Intensity, Muscle Strength, Tactile Acuity and Pressure Pain Threshold.

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05078489
• Other study ID #: 21-CED/2020
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 20, 2021
• Est. completion date: February 15, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: February 2023
• Source: Aveiro University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study aims to assess the immediate effects of action observation therapy on the cervical muscles' strength, pain intensity, tactile acuity and pain pressure threshold in individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain.

Description:

This study is a randomized controlled trial with two arms: action observation group vs control group. The action observation group will be asked to watch videos of neck exercises with full attention and concentration and not perform any motion or execute any movement during the observation time. The control group will be asked to watch videos of a landscape.

Participants will be assessed at baseline and at post-intervention for muscle strength, pain intensity, pressure pain threshold and tactile acuity.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: February 15, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: October 30, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Months to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have nonspecific chronic neck pain, defined as a recurrent or persistent pain that lasts more than 3 months, with no trauma or etiology/diagnosis associated.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Visual and hearing dysfunction not corrected by eyeglasses/contact lenses or a hearing aid;

• Infectious diseases;

• Cervical myelopathy;

• Cervical surgery;

• Cervical fracture or/and subluxation;

• Vestibular pathology;

• Neurological disorder/deficits;

• Rheumatic autoimmune diseases;

• History of cancer;

• Severe cervical trauma.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Neck Pain

Intervention

Other:
• Action-observation therapy
Action observation therapy involves the observation and perception of human movement performed by others. The observation of actions performed by others activates in the perceiver the same neural structures responsible for the actual execution of those same actions.
• Placebo
Participants will watch a natural landscape without any human.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Portugal	School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro	Aveiro

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Aveiro University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Portugal, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Catastrophizing	Measured with the Catastrophizing Scale (range 0-52 and higher values are indicative of higher pain catastrophizing)	Baseline
Other	Disability	Measured using the Neck Disability Index (Range: 0 - 50 and higher values indicate higher disability)	Baseline
Other	Fear of movement	Measured with the TAMPA Scale of Kinesiophobia (range: 13-52 and higher values are indicative of higher levels of fear of movement)	Baseline
Other	Fear-avoidance beliefs	Measured with the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (range: 0-66 with higher scores indicating higher fear-avoidance beliefs)	Baseline
Primary	Pressure pain thresholds	Pressure pain thresholds are the minimum amount of pressure applied with an algometer that is perceived as being painful; is measured in Kgf	Baseline
Primary	Pressure pain thresholds	Pressure pain thresholds are the minimum amount of pressure applied with an algometer that is perceived as being painful; is measured in Kgf	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Secondary	Pain intensity	Measured with a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale	Baseline
Secondary	Pain intensity	Measured with a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Secondary	Tactile acuity	Assessed as the ability of the participant to distinguish two points using a caliper and the measurement units is millimetres.	Baseline
Secondary	Tactile acuity	Assessed as the ability of the participant to distinguish two points using a caliper and the measurement units is millimetres.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Secondary	Neck flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the forehead of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Baseline
Secondary	Neck flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the forehead of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Secondary	Neck extensors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the posterior part of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Baseline
Secondary	Neck extensors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the posterior part of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Secondary	Neck lateral flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the lateral aspect of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Baseline
Secondary	Neck lateral flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the lateral aspect of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).