NCT04125901

Pain Neuroscience Education and Exercise in High School Students With Chronic Idiopathic Neck Pain

Chronic Idiopathic Neck Pain in High School Students: Effectiveness of an Intervention Based on Exercise and Pain Neuroscience Education

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 127 (actual)
• Sponsor: Aveiro University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 13 Years – 20 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Musculoskeletal pain can affect up to 40% of children and adolescents. Neck pain (NP) is one of the most prevalent painful conditions and evidence suggests that its prevalence has increased in recent decades in adolescents aged 16 to 18 years, from 22.9% in 1991 to 29.5% in 2011. Interventions based on pain neuroscience education have emerged as promising strategies in chronic pain conditions.In adults this intervention has been explored in many pain conditions, including musculoskeletal pain, but there is only one pilot study in adolescents with chronic NP and one case study in adolescents with fibromyalgia. Thus, the main objective of the present study is: (i) To compare the effectiveness of an education program based on pain neuroscience education and exercise versus exercise alone, in decreasing pain intensity in secondary school students with chronic and idiopathic NP immediately after the intervention and at 6 months. The secondary objectives are to: i) Compare the effectiveness of these programs immediately after the intervention and at 6 months in i) disability, ii) sleep, iii) pain catastrophizing, iv) fear of movement, v) self-efficacy, vi) central sensitization vii) the strength of the deep neck flexors and extensors muscles and stabilizers of the scapula; and viii) the pressure pain threshold between the two intervention groups; ii) Explore possible predictors of response to treatment.

Detailed description

It is anticipated that the sample will consist of 127 participants from four secondary schools that will be divided into two groups. Both groups will receive the same exercise-based intervention. The experimental group will receive, in addition to exercise, an intervention based on pain neuroscience education. The intervention will consist of 1 session per week during 8 weeks and will be applied in small groups. The intervention will be performed in a blended-learning format. Five sessions will be face-to-face with up to 45 minutes duration, performed at school and incorporated into physical education classes and 3 will be performed at home, supported by vídeos sent by WhatsApp. The first two sessions will always be face-to-face. Face-to-face sessions will be interspersed with WhatsApp sessions. Participants will be assessed, by online questionnaires, for sociodemographic aspects, pain characterization and physical activity level, disability, sleep, catastrophizing, fear of movement, self-efficacy, central sensitization and knowledge on pain neurophysiology. In addition, 3 muscle tests will be performed for the deep neck flexor and extensor muscles and scapular stabilizers, and the pressure pain thresholds in the neck and at distance will be assessed.

Conditions

• Chronic Neck Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Pain Neuroscience Education and Exercise	The incorporation of the exercise in this group will be gradual, in order to decrease the education component and increase the exercise component (up to 45/60 minutes). The 1st session will be only PNE and will last approximately 45 minutes. In the 2nd session, there will be 30 minutes of PNE and the remaining 15 minutes of exercise. In the following 4th and 6th sessions, 15 minutes of each session will be used to clarify doubts and emphasize PNE concepts and strategies. The 8th session will include exercises only. In WhatsApp sessions, in addition to the video with the exercises, participants will receive activities about the PNE.
OTHER	Exercise	The exercise group will perform exercises in all sessions (45 minutes of exercise in face-to-face sessions). In WhatsApp sessions, participants will receive a video with exercises to perform at home.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-10-01
• Primary completion: 2020-06-30
• Completion: 2020-11-30
• First posted: 2019-10-14
• Last updated: 2021-02-23

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: Portugal