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Fibromyalgia Activity Study With Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (FAST)

NCT01888640 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 301

Last updated 2019-10-31

Study results available
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Summary

Pain associated with fibromyalgia interferes with daily function, work, and social activities resulting in a decreased quality of life. People with fibromyalgia also have a significant amount of fatigue and a fear of movement. People with fibromyalgia show enhanced excitability of pain neurons in the central nervous system and reduced pain inhibition. Therefore, one of the main treatments for patients with fibromyalgia must focus on pain relief to allow the person to function more independently both at home and at work. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is used by health professionals to deliver electrical stimulation through the skin for pain control. Basic science studies, from the PI's laboratory show that TENS activates descending pain inhibitory pathways to inhibit excitability of pain neurons. Thus the ideal patient population for the treatment of TENS would be one in which there is enhanced central excitability and reduced inhibition; fibromyalgia is such a condition.

Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) to patients with fibromyalgia will reduce resting and movement-related pain and reduce central excitability by restoring diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC), and that this decrease in pain and/or central excitability will reduce fatigue and fear of movement, thereby improving function and quality of life

Conditions

  • Fibromyalgia

Interventions

DEVICE

TENS

TENS Parameters: Active TENS and Placebo TENS * TENS Frequency - 2-125 Hz * TENS Pulse Width - 200 µs * TENS Intensity - Maximal tolerable intensity * Duration: 2 hours per day. The 2 hours may be broken into smaller segments of time with a minimum of 30 minutes. * Administration - Daily * TENS Location: TENS electrode on the skin will be a 4 x 7 butterfly electrode to the cervical and lumbar region. Placebo TENS Unit Active TENS unit No TENS - Standard Care

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Vanderbilt University

    collaborator OTHER

  • Kathleen Sluka

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Kathleen A Sluka, PhD, PT · University of Iowa

  • Leslie J. Crofford, MD · Vanderbilt University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
70 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2013-09-30
Primary Completion
2018-04-02
Completion
2018-04-02
FDA Device
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01888640 on ClinicalTrials.gov