CompletedNot Applicable

Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders: Disability, Pain (Beliefs), Central Sensitization and Brain Activity

Belgium120 participantsStarted 2020-01-01

Plain-language summary

This is a cross-sectional case-control study in which 70 patients with chronic whiplash associated disorders will be recruited and compared to 70 healthy pain-free controls. The primary research question is to determine differences is self-reported functional status, pain, health-related quality of life, psychological correlates, measures of central sensitization, quantitative sensory testing (QST) and quantitative scalp Electroencephalography (EEG) to measure various parameters of brain activation. The secondary research question is to determine whether relationships can be found between the self-reported outcomes on one hand and the QST and EEG on the other hand.

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 65 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Patients with chronic WAD (n=70), male or female, aged between 18 and 65 years, will be recruited. The patients should meet the following inclusion criteria: 1) a whiplash trauma which is at least three months old and causes pain since at least 3 months, with self-reported mild to severe pain-related disability, established by a score of 5 or more of a maximum of 50 on the neck disability index, patients classified as wad II or wad III on the modified Quebec task force scale; 2) not undertaking exercise 1 day before the experiment; 3) not starting new treatments or medication and continuing their usual care 6 weeks prior to and during study participation (to obtain a steady state); 4) native dutch speaker and 5) refraining from non-opioid analgesics 48h before the assessments, and refraining from caffeine, alcohol and nicotine 24h before the assessments. Exclusion criteria: Neuropathic pain; being pregnant or having given birth in the preceding year; chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, cardiovascular disorders, endocrinological disorders, rheumatic and psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, history of specific spinal surgery (i.e. surgery for spinal stenosis); history of neck or shoulder surgery in the past 3 years and loss of consciousness during/after the trauma. Healthy pain-free persons (n=70), male or female, aged between 18 and 65 years, will be recruited. The healthy pain-free persons will serve as a control group and should meet the following inclusion criteria: 1) …

What they're measuring

Self-reported functional status or disability

Timeframe: Single assessment, within 2 weeks before test moment

Self-reported health-related quality of life

Timeframe: Single assessment, within 2 weeks before test moment

Self-reported pain assessment

Timeframe: Single assessment, at test moment

Self-reported central sensitization symptoms

Timeframe: Single assessment, within 2 weeks before test moment

Electrical detection and electrical pain thresholds with a constant current electrical stimulator (DS7A Digitimer)

Timeframe: Single assessment, during single test moment (duration: approximately 20min), date of test moment will be determined based on the availability of the subject.

Endogenous pain facilitation assessed by a temporal summation paradigm

Timeframe: Single assessment, during single test moment (duration: approximately 10min), date of test moment will be determined based on the availability of the subject.

Endogenous pain inhibition assessed by a conditioned pain modulation paradigm

Timeframe: Single assessment,during single test moment (duration: approximately 10min), date of test moment will be determined based on the availability of the subject.

Trial details

NCT IDNCT04204525

SponsorUniversity Ghent

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeOBSERVATIONAL

Primary completion2020-10-31

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Whiplash trials

Plain-language summary

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 65 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

What they're measuring

Self-reported functional status or disability

Timeframe: Single assessment, within 2 weeks before test moment

Self-reported health-related quality of life

Timeframe: Single assessment, within 2 weeks before test moment

Self-reported pain assessment

Timeframe: Single assessment, at test moment

Self-reported central sensitization symptoms

Timeframe: Single assessment, within 2 weeks before test moment

Electrical detection and electrical pain thresholds with a constant current electrical stimulator (DS7A Digitimer)

Timeframe: Single assessment, during single test moment (duration: approximately 20min), date of test moment will be determined based on the availability of the subject.

Endogenous pain facilitation assessed by a temporal summation paradigm

Timeframe: Single assessment, during single test moment (duration: approximately 10min), date of test moment will be determined based on the availability of the subject.

Endogenous pain inhibition assessed by a conditioned pain modulation paradigm

Timeframe: Single assessment,during single test moment (duration: approximately 10min), date of test moment will be determined based on the availability of the subject.