None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The research aims to test the leading theory of chronic pain, and to develop and test interventions aimed to reduce chronic pain. We will measure attentional biases to pain-related stimuli, such as hypervigilance (selectively paying more attention) and difficulty disengaging, in a group of adults with acute low back pain. We will then compare the effect of an active and placebo attention retraining task on these attentional biases, and the subsequent effects on the development of chronic low back pain and associated disability and distress.
Interventions
In the active attention retraining task, the participants’ attention will be directed towards neutral stimuli and away from pain stimuli (affective, disability, threat and sensory pain words). The task will be administered via a computer program, and participants are required to press one of two keys in order to measure their reaction time towards the pain stimuli and neutral stimuli. The attention retraining task takes approximately 25-30 minutes to complete, which includes time for breaks of
In the active attention retraining task, the participants’ attention will be directed towards neutral stimuli and away from pain stimuli (affective, disability, threat and sensory pain words). The task will be administered via a computer program, and participants are required to press one of two keys in order to measure their reaction time towards the pain stimuli and neutral stimuli. The attention retraining task takes approximately 25-30 minutes to complete, which includes time for breaks of one minute intervals between trials. The attention retraining task will be administered to each participant on one occasion only, before their session with their physiotherapist.
Sponsors
Associate Professor Louise Sharpe
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Acute low back pain (less than three months duration) First contact with physiotherapist for treatment of this acute low back pain episode Fluent in English
Exclusion criteria
History of chronic pain (three months or longer duration) Current medical or mental illness
Outcome results
None listed