NCT04907162

Musculoskeletal Nociceptive Pain in Participants With Neuromuscular Disorders

Nociceptive Pain in Neuromuscular Disorders - Low Interventional Pilot Study to Assess Musculoskeletal Pain in Neuromuscular Disorders (NMD)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 82 (actual)
• Sponsor: LMU Klinikum · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The primary aim is to characterize the prevalence, severity and quality of musculoskeletal nociceptive pain in adult patients with neuromuscular disorders (NMD). The secondary objectives are to evaluate whether severity and distribution of muscle pain is associated with muscle function, and to assess whether muscle pain is associated with alterations of muscle elasticity and muscle stiffness. Results of patients with neuromuscular disorders will be compared to age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers. Approx. 70 patients with neuromuscular disorders and 20 healthy volunteers will be enrolled, including patients with the following neuromuscular disorders: histologically confirmed inclusion body myositis (IBM), genetically confirmed late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), genetically confirmed spinal muscular atrophy type 3 (SMA3), genetically confirmed facio-scapulo-humeral muscle dystrophy (FSHD), genetically confirmed myotonic dystrophy type 1 or type 2 (DM1, DM2). The duration of patient recruitment will be around 12 months.

Detailed description

The explorative, cross-sectional low-interventional pilot study evaluates the prevalence, severity and quality of musculoskeletal nociceptive pain in participants with defined neuromuscular disorders (NMD). Adult participants with the following neuromuscular disorders will be included: histologically confirmed inclusion body myositis (IBM), genetically confirmed late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), genetically confirmed spinal muscular atrophy type 3 (SMA3), genetically confirmed facio-scapulo-humeral muscle dystrophy (FSHD) and genetically confirmed myotonic dystrophy type 1 or type 2 (DM1, DM2). 20 healthy participants will be enrolled as a control group. The Beck depression inventory fast screen (BDI-FS) will be used as a screening. If there is a possibility of major depression (with a BDI ≥4), patients will be excluded from the study. So only patients with BDI-FS score ≤3 at screening will be enrolled. Patients will be asked to complete the following validated disease-related and quality-of-life questionnaires: German Pain Inventory (module A and abbreviated module S and L and V), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Fatigue Severity and Disability Scale (FSS). Demographic and disease related data will be obtained. A neuromuscular examination will be conducted. A clinical evaluation of muscle strength using the MRC-Scale (Medical Research Council-Scale) will be performed on both sides deltoid muscles, biceps brachii muscles, triceps brachii muscles, hip flexors, hip extensors, quadriceps femoris muscles, foot extensor and foot flexor muscles as well as axial muscles and neck flexors and extensors. The Quick Motor Function Test (QMFT) with 16 items will be performed to assess muscle and movement functions of the participants. To ensure a high level of objective measurement, muscle strength will also be assessed by using handheld dynamometry. The following muscle groups will be tested: arm abduction, elbow flexion, elbow extension, hip flexion, hip extension, knee extension, knee flexion, foot extension, foot flexion. A six-minute-walk test (6MWT) will be performed once. Additionally, first signs of muscle pain or muscle cramps will be recorded (including the quality and intensity of pain). The Borg scale to rate dyspnea will be administered before starting the 6MWT and after completing the 6MWT. For diagnosis of myofascial pain, a Pressure Pain Threshold test by using a pressure algometer is included for the trapezius, deltoid and supraspinatus muscles, the rectus femoris muscles, and the tibialis anterior muscles until the patient feels any sensation of pain. Measurement of muscle stiffness, muscle tone, relaxation periods and viscoelasticity of selected muscles will be assessed by a myotonometer. Data collected in this study will be reported using summary tables, figures, and patient data listings. Differences between the patients and the healthy volunteers will be analyzed.

Conditions

• Pompe Disease (Late-onset)
• Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1)
• Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 3
• Inclusion Body Myositis, Sporadic
• Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy 1
• Healthy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Beck depression inventory fast screen	Beck depression inventory fast screen questionnaire to detect severe depression for eligibility.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	German Pain Inventory	German Pain Inventory questionnaire for evaluation of pain. Module A, abbreviated questions of module S (sociodemographic questions S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and S8) and module L (quality of life) and V (therapies) will be used.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Brief Pain Inventory	Validated questionnaire for pain.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Fatigue Severity and Disability Scale (FSS)	Validated questionnaire for perceived fatigue
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Quick Motor Function Test	An evaluator observes the performance of a patient and scores the items separately on a 5-point ordinal scale (ranging from 0 to 4). A total score is obtained by adding the scores of all items and ranges between 0 and 64 points.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Handheld Dynamometry (HHD)	To ensure a high level of objective measurement, muscle strength will also be assessed by handheld dynamometry. The following muscle groups will be tested: Arm abduction, elbow flexion, elbow extension, hip flexion, hip extension, knee extension, knee flexion, foot extension, foot flexion.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Six-minute walk test (6MWT)	It is a sub-maximal exercise test used to assess aerobic capacity and endurance. The distance covered over a time of 6 minutes is used as the outcome by which to compare changes in performance capacity.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Pressure pain threshold	For diagnosis of myofascial pain, pressure algometers are designed and conventionally used to measure deep pressure pain thresholds or tenderness resistance (Park, Kim et al. 2011), and the reliability of pressure pain thresholds according to raters or measurement frequencies has been proven to be relatively high (Chung, Um et al. 1992). The threshold is then determined as the arithmetic mean of the 3 series (in kPa). The measurement will be stopped immediately as the patient feels sensations of "burning", "stinging", "drilling" or "aching. Pressure algometry measurements will be performed on the trapezius, deltoid and supraspinatus muscles, the rectus femoris muscles, and the tibialis anterior muscles.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Myotonometer Assessment	Muscle stiffness, muscle tone, relaxation periods and viscoelasticity will be assessed by a myotonometer of selected muscles (non-invasive measurement). The method of measurement consists of recording damped natural oscillation of soft biological tissue in the form of an acceleration signal and the subsequent simultaneous computation of the parameters of State of Tension, Biomechanical and Viscoelastic properties. Measurements will be performed on the trapezius, deltoid and supraspinatus muscles, the rectus femoris muscles, and the tibialis anterior muscles.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Vital signs	Vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate) will be measured before and after the six-Minute-Walk-Test (6MWT).
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Borg Scale	the Borg scale will be assessed, which is a self-reported questionnaire designed to subjectively assess dyspnea and exertion during activity (Borg 1982). The Borg scale rates dyspnea on a scale of 0 to 10 incorporating nonlinear spacing of verbal descriptors of the level of intensity of dyspnea. A higher Borg score indicates more severe dyspnea. The Borg scale will be administered before starting the 6MWT (≤ 5 minutes) and after completing the 6MWT (≤ 5 minutes).

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-04-15
• Primary completion: 2022-08-15
• Completion: 2022-08-15
• First posted: 2021-05-28
• Last updated: 2022-08-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany