Clinical trial NCT05370833: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Setting to Reduce Pain in Older Workers
Official title: Observation et Analyse Des Effets de la Stimulation transcrânienne à Courant Continu en Milieu Clinique Pour Soulager la Douleur Chronique Chez Les Travailleurs Vieillissants
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Chronic Pain
Aging
Keywords: transcranial direct current stimulation
physical therapy
work retention
Lead sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: CISSS Abitibi-Témiscamingue
First posted: 2022-05-12
Enrollment: 24
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 56
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Chronic pain is one of the main factors influencing workers' retention at work. Considering that the prevalence of suffering from chronic pain increases with age, older workers are most likely to be absent from work because of their pain.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a treatment option to reduce chronic pain.

This study aims to document the effect of tDCS on pain and work retention in older workers and to compare the traditional tDCS protocol (5 sessions) with an enhanced protocol (11 sessions).

Detailed description: Chronic pain affects many spheres of the lives of affected individuals and those around them. In Canada, the prevalence of chronic pain is estimated at 15% of adults aged 18 and over. Among seniors, the prevalence of this health problem can reach up to 50% and affect one in two seniors. Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of work disability. In this context, pain reduction remains one of the most effective methods to enable the worker to stay at work. Considering the aging Quebec population, labor needs and the average retirement age which is increasingly postponed, it becomes crucial to take an interest in aging workers and their continued employment.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neurostimulation method that has shown promise in reducing chronic pain. Recently, several research teams have shown that tDCS has beneficial effects on pain, physical function and social participation in seniors. Despite all these recent advances, very few studies have focused on optimizing tDCS treatment modalities and no studies have focused on the impact of tDCS on return to work or retention. The vast majority of studies using tDCS to reduce pain give one tDCS session per day for 5 consecutive days. This study aims to document the effect of tDCS on pain and work retention in older workers and to compare the traditional tDCS protocol (5 sessions) with an enhanced protocol (11 sessions).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* To be more than 55 years old
* To have chronic pain
* To have employment relationship
* To have pain that interferes with work tasks

Exclusion Criteria:

- tDCS contraindications (epilepsy, metallic implant in the head, pacemaker, cochlear implant)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Disability
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Disability
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Disability
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Disability
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Work role functioning
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Work role functioning
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Work role functioning
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Work role functioning
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Physical Functioning
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Physical Functioning
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Physical Functioning
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Physical Functioning
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Anxiety
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Anxiety
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Anxiety
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Anxiety
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Depression
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Depression
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Depression
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Depression
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Impression of change
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Impression of change
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Impression of change
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
measure: Central sensitization
timeFrame: Before tDCS
measure: Central sensitization
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Central sensitization
timeFrame: 4 weeks
measure: Central sensitization
timeFrame: 4 weeks after the last tDCS session
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Recruitment
timeFrame: through study completion, about 2 years
measure: Security
timeFrame: through study completion, about 2 years
measure: Intervention
timeFrame: through study completion, about 2 years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Rouyn-Noranda
country: Canada
facility: Clinique régionale de la gestion de la douleur - CISSSAT
state: Quebec
city: Sherbrooke
country: Canada
facility: Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement
state: Quebec
Study officials:
affiliation: Université de Sherbrooke
name: Guillaume Leonard, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: