Chronic Pain and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Settings

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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Reduce Chronic Pain With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Settings

Conditions
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Chronic Pain

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: transcranial direct current stimulation


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: To have chronic pain Exclusion Criteria: Contraindication to tDCS

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Other: transcranial direct current stimulation|5 daily sessions of tDCS (2mA, 20 min) were recommended to all patients. Physical exercises were also done at the physiotherapy clinic. Physical exercises program was recommended to be continued at home after the week of physiotherapy visits.|

What is the study measuring?
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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 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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transcranial direct current stimulation, physical exercise, physiotherapy, clinical settings