Chronic Pain and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Settings

Reduce Chronic Pain With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Settings

Physical exercises and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are both known to reduce chronic pain in structured laboratory studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of this combined treatment in clinical settings.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Chronic Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: transcranial direct current stimulation

Detailed Description

Chronic pain patients who are going to the physiotherapy clinic to receive tDCS treatment sessions are evaluated in order to assess the efficacy of tDCS in clinical settings. Physiotherapists prescribe physical exercises adapted to the patients conditions. Patients performed their physical exercises every time they received a tDCS treatment, but were also recommended to continue their physical exercises program at home after completion of physiotherapy visits.

Concerning tDCS treatment, patients were encouraged to receive 1 tDCS session per day for 5 consecutive days.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Guillaume Leonard, PhD; Phone Number: 1 819-780-2220; Email: guillaume.leonard2@usherbrooke.ca
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Marie-Philippe Harvey, M.Sc; Email: marie.philippe.harvey@usherbrooke.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, J1L 0H8
      • Recruiting
      • Physio-Atlas
      • Contact: Antoine Laramé, M.Sc.; Phone Number: 819-562-0868

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

All patients that received tDCS sessions in clinical settings

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• To have chronic pain

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contraindication to tDCS

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in McGill pain Questionnaire	qualitative and quantitative aspects of pain	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Brief Pain Inventory	Physical Function	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Tampa Questionnaire	Kinesiophobia	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Beck Depression Inventory	Depression	Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Patient global impression of change	Impression of change	1 week, 1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of sessions received	Feasibility; did the patients received all their tDCS sessions in 5 days (1 per day)	Through study completion, an average of 5 days
Side effect	Side effect reported by the patients (headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, redness, tingling)	Through study completion, an average of 5 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Guillaume Léonard, PhD, Université de Sherbrooke

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 4, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 4, 2021
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 15, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 27, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 12, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 10, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: transcranial direct current stimulation; physiotherapy; physical exercise; clinical settings
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Chronic Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2020-3273-PA

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No