NCT02816060

Brief Summary

Background: There is evidence linking conditioned pain modulation (CPM) deficiency with musculoskeletal pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, migraine, tension-type headaches and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as with temporomandibular disorders, idiopathic facial pain and chronic fatigue syndrome. Evidence shows that in pre-surgical situations of chronic pain there is no activation of CPM. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to measure the CPM response and determine whether neural tensioner exercise in patients with chronic neck pain is effective in the improvement of neck pain intensity, neck disability and cervical range of motion. Design: Double-blind, randomized placebo clinical trial. Methods: Patients with neck pain will be randomly allocated into two groups: the neural tensionner exercise group (NTE) or the sham technique (ST) group. Individuals will be included in the study if they meet the following inclusion criteria: aged 18-65 years, neck pain perceived in the posterior region of the cervical spine, from the superior nuchal line to the first thoracic spinous process with more than 12 weeks of evolution and without radicular symptoms radiated to the head. Neck pain intensity with a visual analogue scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), CPM, and cervical rang of motion will be measured pre and port intervention.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
54

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2016

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2016

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 9, 2016

Completed
19 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

June 28, 2016

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 1, 2016

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

November 1, 2016

Completed
Last Updated

March 9, 2017

Status Verified

March 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

6 months

First QC Date

June 9, 2016

Last Update Submit

March 8, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

pain measurement

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Physiological parameter

    Conditioned pain modulation: Diffusse noxious inhibitory control sistem will be measure with torniquete test

    5 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Visual analogue scale

    5 minutes

  • physiological movement

    5 minutes

Study Arms (2)

neural tensionner exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will receive a specific tensionner nerve exercise to provide mechanical stress across the median nerve. This technique have two positions, start and end. It consists on going from one to the other position constantly, controlling the speed of the technique to be constant. In the start position, the subject will be supine lying on a couch with the following parameters: contralateral cervical side bending, shoulder depression, shoulder abduction and external rotation to 90°, elbow flexion to 90º, and forearm supination. In the final position, the therapist will perform full elbow extension while maintaining all the joints previously situated as described above until the patients feel tension, then return to the start position.

Procedure: manual therapy

sham neural tensionner exercise

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The control group will receive a sham technique (ST) with minimal mechanical stress across the median nerve. Patients will be placed in neutral cervical spine position with no shoulder depression, shoulder abduction and external rotation to 45°, 45° of elbow extension, and forearm pronation.. This technique will be passively repeated from elbow flexion to extension in the same way than the NTE group

Procedure: manual therapy

Interventions

manual therapy with neural exercise will be applied on patients with neck pain

neural tensionner exercisesham neural tensionner exercise

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 25 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • aged 18-65 years.
  • neck pain perceived in the posterior region of the cervical spine, from the superior nuchal line to the first thoracic spinous process with more than 12 weeks of evolution and without radicular symptoms radiated to the head, trunk, and/or the upper limbs.
  • the ability to understand, write, and speak Spanish fluently

You may not qualify if:

  • development of systemic or degenerative diseases;
  • symptoms of depression according to Beck's questionnaire.
  • pain in any area between the lower back and the head in the last 9 months.
  • neck pain associated with whiplash injuries.
  • medical red flag history (i.e., tumour, fracture, metabolic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis). - neck pain with cervical radiculopathy.
  • neck pain associated with externalized cervical disc herniation.
  • fibromyalgia syndrome.
  • previous neck surgery.
  • neck pain accompanied by vertigo caused by vertebrobasilar insufficiency or accompanied by non-cervicogenic headaches due to a traumatic event in the past 12 months.
  • and history of neck or face pain in the last 6 months.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Alcorcón, Madrid, 28922, Spain

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Fernandez-Carnero J, Sierra-Silvestre E, Beltran-Alacreu H, Gil-Martinez A, La Touche R. Neural Tension Technique Improves Immediate Conditioned Pain Modulation in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Pain Med. 2019 Jun 1;20(6):1227-1235. doi: 10.1093/pm/pny115.

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neck Pain

Interventions

Musculoskeletal Manipulations

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary TherapiesTherapeuticsPhysical Therapy ModalitiesRehabilitation

Study Officials

  • Josué Fernández-Carnero, PhD

    Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
PT, PhD

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 9, 2016

First Posted

June 28, 2016

Study Start

May 1, 2016

Primary Completion

November 1, 2016

Study Completion

November 1, 2016

Last Updated

March 9, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations