Stretching and Pain Sensitivity

NCT02027766 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 129
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Stretching is frequently used in clinical practice to manage musculoskeletal discomfort and to prevent sports injuries. It is not known if stretching affects pain sensitivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate if a 4 week daily stretching protocol alters pain sensitivity. The investigators hypothesize that stretching reduces pain sensitivity.

Conditions

Stretching

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change from baseline in pressure pain threshold (PPT) at the ipsilateral (same side as being stretched) calf assessed by a cuff pressure algometer

  Baseline and after 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change from baseline in PPT at the counter lateral calf

  Baseline and 4 weeks

• Change from baseline in PPT at the ipsilateral arm

  baseline and 4 weeks

• Change from baseline in temporal summation of pressure pain at both calfs and ipsilateral arm.

  Baseline and after 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Stretching

EXPERIMENTAL

Daily stretching of the calf (dominant side; defined as leg used to kick a ball). 2 stretching exercises are performed daily: 1) stretching of the soleus muscle; 2) stretching of the gastrocnemius muscle.

Other: Calf muscle stretching

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Calf muscle stretching OTHER

Stretching

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aged between 18 and 40
• In general good health, in the opinion of the Investigator, based on medical and physical history.
• Speaks, reads and writes Danish language.

You may not qualify if:

• Regular use of stretching
• History of surgery to the lower limb(s)
• History of traumatic and overuse injures to the lower limb(s), including but not limited to: Tendinopathies, Bursitis, Muscle injuries, Significant ankle sprains, other ligament injuries
• Hyper mobility syndromes, including but not limited to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Generalised hyper mobility syndrome
• History of symptoms of autoimmune disorders (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis).
• Planned surgical procedure during the duration of the study
• History, diagnosis, or signs and symptoms of clinically significant neurological disease, including but not limited to: Stroke or transient ischemic attack, Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, Clinically significant head trauma within the past year, Peripheral neuropathy, Epilepsy or seizure, Impaired balance
• Alcohol or drug abuse within the last 5 years
• History, diagnosis, signs or symptoms of any clinically significant psychiatric disorder
• Diabetes
• Subjects with regional pain syndromes suggestive of lumbar compressions with radiculopathy or at risk of developing radiculopathy.
• Any other condition, which in the opinion of the Investigator, would put the subject at increased safety risk or otherwise make the subject unsuitable for this study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Marius Henriksen: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg University Hospitals

Copenhagen, 2000, Denmark

Location

Study Officials

• Marius Henriksen, PT, PhD

  Frederiksberg Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Researcher

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 3, 2014
• First Posted: January 6, 2014
• Study Start: January 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2014
• Study Completion: April 1, 2014
• Last Updated: May 6, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-05

Locations

DK (1)