Clinical trial NCT03905577: Effects of Motor Imagery and Action Observation Training on Pain Perception in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain
Official title: Effects of Motor Imagery and Action Observation Training on Pain Perception in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Pain, Chronic
Keywords: Motor Imagery
Action observation
Pain perception
Lead sponsor: Universidad Autonoma de Madrid
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-04-05
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study evaluates the influence of motor imagery or action observation training on pain perception in patients with chronic neck pain. Perception of pain will be measured by the pain pressure threshold.

A group of patients will receive an action observation training of neck movements, another will receive a protocol of motor imagery of the same movements and the last group will be a placebo group, through the viewing of a documentary video.

Detailed description: Motor imagery is defined as a dynamic mental process of an action, without its real motor execution. Action observation training consists of watching an action performed by someone else. Both motor imagery and action observation have been shown to produce a neurophysiological activation of the brain areas related to the planning and execution of voluntary movement in a manner that resembles how the action is performed in reality.

Both motor imagery and action observation are interventions that can generate adaptive neuroplastic changes on a cortical level, leading to a decrease in chronic pain. These rehabilitation techniques are used in pain treatment and impaired movement injuries that could be due to a nervous system alteration.

The effectiveness of motor imagery is controversial; several studies have presented unfavorable outcomes from this technique. Some variables, such as the duration of the sessions, the time employed the type of motor task or the number of sessions can influence the outcomes of these studies. Thus, it is necessary to clarify the controversial aspects of motor imagery, which lead us to perform this study.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women aged between 18 and 65 years
* Medical diagnosis of non specific chronic neck pain with more than 6 months of evolution of neck pain

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients with rheumatic diseases, cervical hernia, cervical whiplash syndrome, neck surgeries o a history of arthrodesis
* Systemic diseases
* Vision, hearing or vestibular problems
* Severe trauma or a traffic accident that had an impact on the cervical area.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Pain pressure threshold
timeFrame: Change from baseline and immediately post-intervention.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Visual and Kinesthetic Motor Imagery Ability
timeFrame: Immediately before the intervention
measure: Mental Chronometry
timeFrame: Immediately before the intervention
measure: The degree of physical activity
timeFrame: Immediately before the intervention
measure: Laterality task
timeFrame: Immediately before the intervention
measure: Pain catastrophizing
timeFrame: Immediately before the intervention
measure: Kinesiophobia
timeFrame: Immediately before the intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Madrid
country: Spain
facility: CSEU La Salle
Study officials:
References: