SENSORY RE-TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Neck Pain
• Cervical Pain
• Neck Muscle Issue
• Neck Pain, Posterior
• Cervical Pain, Posterior

Interventions

OTHER

Proprioceptive Training Exercise

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

OTHER

Tactile Acuity Training

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.

OTHER

Control Group

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hacettepe University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Kübra canlı · Hacettepe University

• Filiz Can · Hacettepe University

• Gökhan Demirkıran · Hacettepe University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-01-18

Primary Completion

2023-12-30

Completion

2024-12-30

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations