Acute Effects of Action Observation on Neck Pain

Acute Effects of Action Observation on Pain Intensity, Muscle Strength, Tactile Acuity and Pressure Pain Threshold.

This study aims to assess the immediate effects of action observation therapy on the cervical muscles' strength, pain intensity, tactile acuity and pain pressure threshold in individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neck Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Action-observation therapy; Other: Placebo

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized controlled trial with two arms: action observation group vs control group. The action observation group will be asked to watch videos of neck exercises with full attention and concentration and not perform any motion or execute any movement during the observation time. The control group will be asked to watch videos of a landscape.

Participants will be assessed at baseline and at post-intervention for muscle strength, pain intensity, pressure pain threshold and tactile acuity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Anabela Silva, PhD; Phone Number: 27120 +351 234247119; Email: asilva@ua.pt

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Aveiro, Portugal
    • School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 year to 65 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have nonspecific chronic neck pain, defined as a recurrent or persistent pain that lasts more than 3 months, with no trauma or etiology/diagnosis associated.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Visual and hearing dysfunction not corrected by eyeglasses/contact lenses or a hearing aid;
• Infectious diseases;
• Cervical myelopathy;
• Cervical surgery;
• Cervical fracture or/and subluxation;
• Vestibular pathology;
• Neurological disorder/deficits;
• Rheumatic autoimmune diseases;
• History of cancer;
• Severe cervical trauma.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Action-observation arm; Participants will be asked to watch videos of neck exercises without performing any exercise. The intervention will take approximately 15 minutes.	Other: Action-observation therapy; Action observation therapy involves the observation and perception of human movement performed by others. The observation of actions performed by others activates in the perceiver the same neural structures responsible for the actual execution of those same actions.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo intervention; Participants will be asked to watch videos of landscapes. The intervention will take approximately 15 minutes.	Other: Placebo; Participants will watch a natural landscape without any human.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pressure pain thresholds	Pressure pain thresholds are the minimum amount of pressure applied with an algometer that is perceived as being painful; is measured in Kgf	Baseline
Pressure pain thresholds	Pressure pain thresholds are the minimum amount of pressure applied with an algometer that is perceived as being painful; is measured in Kgf	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain intensity	Measured with a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale	Baseline
Pain intensity	Measured with a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Tactile acuity	Assessed as the ability of the participant to distinguish two points using a caliper and the measurement units is millimetres.	Baseline
Tactile acuity	Assessed as the ability of the participant to distinguish two points using a caliper and the measurement units is millimetres.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Neck flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the forehead of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Baseline
Neck flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the forehead of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Neck extensors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the posterior part of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Baseline
Neck extensors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the posterior part of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).
Neck lateral flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the lateral aspect of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Baseline
Neck lateral flexors strength	A dynamometer will be used against the lateral aspect of the head of the participants to quantify the isometric strength and units of measurement will be Newtons.	Post-intervention (within the same session of the baseline assessment but approximately 30 minutes after that).

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Catastrophizing	Measured with the Catastrophizing Scale (range 0-52 and higher values are indicative of higher pain catastrophizing)	Baseline
Disability	Measured using the Neck Disability Index (Range: 0 - 50 and higher values indicate higher disability)	Baseline
Fear of movement	Measured with the TAMPA Scale of Kinesiophobia (range: 13-52 and higher values are indicative of higher levels of fear of movement)	Baseline
Fear-avoidance beliefs	Measured with the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (range: 0-66 with higher scores indicating higher fear-avoidance beliefs)	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Aveiro University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 20, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): February 15, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 4, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 4, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): October 14, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 20, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 17, 2023
• Last Verified: February 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neck Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21-CED/2020

Drug and device information, study documents

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