Additional Effect of Pain Neuroscience Education to Spinal Manipulative Therapy in Chronic Low Back Pain

November 30, 2023 updated by: Thais Cristina Chaves, University of Sao Paulo

Additional Effect of Pain Neuroscience Education to Spinal Manipulative Therapy on Pain And Disability in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: The primary objective will be to investigate the additional effect (immediate and after one-month follow up) of pain neuroscience education (PNE) to Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) on primary outcomes of pain intensity and disability in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CLBP).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Design: This study will be a blinded randomized controlled clinical trial. Participants: One hundred and four participants with CLBP (18 and 55 years) both genders. Interventions: Individuals included will be randomized into two possible treatment arms: PNE+SMT or SMT alone. Each treatment will last for 8 sessions. The group submitted to PNE+SMT will received in the first two initial sessions an individual face-to-face PNE program of 40 minutes.Main outcome measures: Pain intensity and low back pain-related disability will be adopted as primary outcomes and as secondary outcomes we will assess fear-avoidance, pain self-efficacy and global perceived effect of improvement. The outcomes will be assessed on three occasions: pre-intervention, immediately after 8 sessions of intervention and after one-month follow-up period. All statistical analysis will be conducted following the principles of intention to treat, and the effects of treatment will be calculated using linear mixed models. Discussion: This study will help to better understand if PNE -a psychosocial cognitive intervention- will add significant effect (immediate and at follow-up) to a movement therapy protocol based on manual therapy.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

104

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • São Paulo
      • Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, 14049-900
        • University of Sao Paulo

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. who present chronic, non-specific, continuous and recurrent low back pain lasting at least three months and
  2. contemplate at least three of the following criteria: 1-hip internal rotation with> 35 °; 2-lumbar spine hypomobility; 3-absence of distal knee symptoms and 4-point FABQ Work score 19.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. pregnant women;
  2. red flags (neoplasia, vertebral column fracture, vertebral osteomyelitis, infection or equine tail syndrome, rheumatic diseases, diseases that compromise cognition);
  3. disc herniation;
  4. women in the luteal phase will be rescheduled;
  5. patients with cognitive deficits evaluated according to the Mini Mental State Examination with score less than or equal to 24 points or 22 points (low education level) and
  6. previous physical therapy for low back in the past year or submitted to any health/pain education strategy. Patients will be instructed to not use pain relief medications during the intervention period of this trial and if any medication be used, participants will be encouraged to report.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Spinal Manipulative Technique (SMT)
This protocol of combined manipulation and mobilization techniques was adopted in view of the previous findings of a systematic review in which the combination of thrust mobilization and non-thrust techniques showed greater (moderate) evidence for chronic low back pain when compared to each technique alone (limited evidence). In addition, the thrust manipulation will be administered at the thoracic spine considering that a previous study found no differences in pain intensity after lumbar spine high-velocity manipulation versus non-region-specific manipulation in patients with chronic low back pain.
Procedure: Spinal Manipulative Technique
1) The application of a global low-amplitude and high-speed manipulation at the upper thoracic region between T1 and T5 levels in the dorsal decubitus position and 2) Techniques of post-anterior central mobilization applied for 30 seconds with an average of 30 repetitions in each lumbar vertebra, from L5 to L1, using grade II joint mobilization (patients positioned in the ventral decubitus position).
Active Comparator: SMT + Pain Neuroscience Education
Content: 1) Contextualization on the importance of the program; 2) Initial concepts on neuroscience and pain, 3) How context can influence pain perception; 5) human beings as a multisensory complex; 6) Pain and memory; 7) Nociception and nociceptors; 8) The incorrect concepts on pain; 9) Concepts on pain neurophysiology; 10) Types of sensitization; 11) Descending inhibitory system; 12) The danger message and the brain processing; 13) The sensitized brain and its relationship to chronic pain; 14) The contribution of other systems to pain experience; 15) How bone, muscles and nerves send sensory information all the time; 16) Fear avoidance model revisited; 17) Encouragement to change; 18) How to develop positive attitudes and 19) Concepts of gradual exposition and gradual activity
Procedure: Spinal Manipulative Technique
1) The application of a global low-amplitude and high-speed manipulation at the upper thoracic region between T1 and T5 levels in the dorsal decubitus position and 2) Techniques of post-anterior central mobilization applied for 30 seconds with an average of 30 repetitions in each lumbar vertebra, from L5 to L1, using grade II joint mobilization (patients positioned in the ventral decubitus position).
Behavioral: Pain Neuroscience Education
All participants in the PNE + SMT group will initially receive a workshop on PNE in which different concepts of pain neuroscience and pain reconceptualization will be discussed and a power-point presentation with metaphors and animated videos on the topic will be employed. The PNE program will be held in 2 sessions of 40 minutes each. The topics of the intervention program will be divided into four thematic topics according to Explain Pain concepts.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in pain intensity after the end and at 1 month follow-up
Time Frame: Baseline (before the initial treatment session), Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.
The Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) used to assess pain intensity in this trial will consist in a sequence of numbers from 0 to 10, in which 0 represents "no pain" and 10 represents "worst pain imaginable".
Baseline (before the initial treatment session), Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.
Change in low back pain Disability after the end and at 1 month follow-up
Time Frame: Baseline (before the initial treatment session), Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.
The Brazilian Portuguese version of Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) will be used to assess low back pain related disability. This instrument consists of 10 items, each of which has six response options. The total score will be calculated by summing up all the points, with the largest possible sum being 50. This sum will be transformed into a percentage by multiplying it by two.
Baseline (before the initial treatment session), Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Global Perceived Effect of treatment
Time Frame: Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.
The global perceived effect (GPE) used for this trial is an 11-point scale that ranges from -5 ("vastly worse") through 0 ("no change") to +5 ("completely recovered") and participants are asked: "Compared to when this episode first started, how would you describe your back these days?". A higher score indicates higher perception of recovery from the condition.
Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.
Change in Fear Avoidance Beliefs after the end and at 1 month follow-up
Time Frame: Baseline (before the initial treatment session), Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.
The fear avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FABQ) adapted for Brazilian Portuguese consists of 16 self-response items, rated on a seven-point ordinal scale from 0 (completely disagree) to 6 (completely agree). The score is obtained for each separate subscale: one that addressed the fears and beliefs of individuals in relation to work and one that addressed their fears and beliefs about physical activities. As the content of PNE included topics about fear-avoidance, the construct will be assessed. A recent systematic review showed an association between baseline fear avoidance belief and worst levels of pain and disability as treatment outcome in chronic low back pain and showed that interventions that addressed FABs were more effective than others based on biomedical concepts.
Baseline (before the initial treatment session), Immediately after the end of the last session and after the one-month follow-up.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Performance
Time Frame: Baseline
The MMSE is a tool that can be used to systematically and thoroughly assess mental status. We used the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the tool. It is an 11-question measure that tests 5 areas of cognitive function: orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language. The maximum score is 30. A score of ≤22 is indicative of cognitive impairment. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to exclude cognitive impairment.
Baseline
Pain catastrophizing
Time Frame: Baseline
The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) translated and validated to Brazilian Portuguese will be used. The scale is composed of 13 items staggered on 6-point ordinal scale (0-5). The total score is the sum of the items divided by the number of items answered, with the minimum score being 0 and the maximum being 5 for each item. Higher scores indicated a greater presence of catastrophic thoughts. The total score of the scale could vary between 0 and 52 points. A recent systematic review found that catastrophizing to be associated with pain and disability at follow-up in CLBP patients.
Baseline
Pain Self-Efficacy Scale - PSES
Time Frame: Baseline
Study participants will be evaluated on self-efficacy related to chronic pain, which can be defined as an individual's confidence he/she can successfully produce desirable results related to living with chronic pain. The Pain Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES) has 10 items which are rated on a 7-point ordinal scale (ranging from 0: "not at all confident" to 6: "completely confident"). It was adapted and validated to Brazilian Portuguese. Previous research showed an effect on self-efficacy using a PNE intervention based on metaphors compared to an intervention using cognitive-behavioral concepts.
Baseline
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS
Time Frame: Baseline
The HADS will be employed to identify anxiety disorders and depression. It was translated and validated into Portuguese. The HADS is divided into the anxiety subscale (HADS-A) and the depression subscale (HADS-D), both containing seven interspersed items. It is composed of seven items for depression and seven items for anxiety, each item including four response options ranging from 0 to 3. A cutoff of ≥8 was described with good sensitivity and specificity values (0.70-0.90) for anxiety and depression symptoms.
Baseline
STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST)
Time Frame: Baseline
The SBST questionnaire was translated to Brazilian Portuguese and its psychometric measurements were checked. The questionnaire is comprised of 9 items. For the purposes of scoring and classification, respondents were given answer options of "I agree" and "I disagree" for the first 8 items, which were scored 1 and 0 points, respectively. For total scores greater than 3, classification was based on the psychosocial subscale score (items 5 to 9) as follows: scores ≤3 corresponded to medium risk and scores >3 corresponded to high risk.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Sao Paulo

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Thais C Chaves, Doctor, University São Paulo

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 30, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 30, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

July 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 28, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

November 29, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

December 1, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 30, 2023

Last Verified

November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 20112017

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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