Clinical trial NCT06976398: Chronic Neck Pain and Central Sensizitation
Official title: Investigation of Central Sensitisation in Patients With Chronic Non-spesific Neck Pain
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Neck Pain
Lead sponsor: Karabuk University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-05-16
Enrollment: 64
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_ONLY
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Patients with chronic non-specific neck pain will be included.

Brief summary: Chronic neck pain is one of the musculoskeletal pain problems that can cause chronic disability. It is emphasised that individuals with chronic neck pain have difficulty during different activities in their daily lives, and that this problem is a very common health problem that can lead to disability. In the case of chronic neck pain, changes in the pain threshold cause central sensitisation and individuals become more sensitive to pain stimuli. This situation can affect the processing of proprioceptive information and lead to deterioration in proprioceptive perception. This situation leads to perceptual problems in body and neck awareness. Therefore, examining the relationship between the relevant parameters is important in the rehabilitation process. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the relationship between body awareness and pain, central sensitisation, disability and proprioception in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain.

Detailed description: Chronic neck pain is a common pain problem related to the musculoskeletal system and can lead to permanent (chronic) disability over time. In approximately 50-85% of individuals with neck pain, complaints do not completely improve despite treatment, causing the pain to become chronic. Individuals with chronic neck pain have difficulty performing various activities in their daily lives, and this negatively affects their quality of life. Proprioceptive feedback in the neck region, that is, sensory information that allows the body to perceive its position in space, is very important for proper control of head and neck movements. However, chronic pain can lead to a condition called central sensitization. In this case, the individual's pain threshold decreases and they become more sensitive to stimuli that would normally not cause pain. This increased sensitivity can make it difficult for the brain to process proprioceptive information correctly, which can lead to impairments in body and neck awareness. Therefore, investigating the relationship between body awareness and pain level, central sensitization, disability status and proprioception in individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain is of great importance in terms of developing an effective rehabilitation program.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Being between the ages of 18-65
* Being diagnosed with chronic non-specific neck pain by a doctor
* Being willing to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Having psychological disorders, mental disorders, cancer and severe depression
* Having a history of traumatic injury
* Having a history of primary or metastatic spinal malignancy, spinal fracture
* Having a neurological disease (Hemiplegia, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, etc.)
* Having been diagnosed with advanced osteoporosis
* Having a history of surgical intervention or acute infection in the cervical region

Primary outcomes:
measure: Central sensitization
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Pain severity
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Pain threshold
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Neck disability
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Proprioception
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Body awareness
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Neck awareness
timeFrame: Baseline
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Karabük
country: Turkey
facility: Karabuk University
Study officials:
affiliation: Karabuk University
name: Musa Gunes, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Karabuk University
name: Melek Turan
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Karabuk University
name: Duygu Çataloluk
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Karabuk University
name: Aydın Sinan Apaydın, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: van der Maas LC, Koke A, Bosscher RJ, Twisk JW, Janssen TW, Peters M. Body Awareness as an Important Target in Multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Treatment: Mediation and Subgroup Analyses. Clin J Pain. 2016 Sep;32(9):763-72. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000320.
citation: Williams DA. Phenotypic Features of Central Sensitization. J Appl Biobehav Res. 2018 Jun;23(2):e12135. doi: 10.1111/jabr.12135. Epub 2018 Jun 27.
citation: Wand BM, Catley MJ, Rabey MI, O'Sullivan PB, O'Connell NE, Smith AJ. Disrupted Self-Perception in People With Chronic Low Back Pain. Further Evaluation of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire. J Pain. 2016 Sep;17(9):1001-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2016.06.003. Epub 2016 Jun 18.