Myofascial Pain Syndrome of Neck
Conditions
Keywords
Myofascial Pain Syndromes, Surface electrical stimulation, Remote medical support, Telemedicine
Brief summary
The aim of this study is to compare the developed home-based surface electrical stimulation program to the controls in computer office workers with MPS.
Detailed description
Cervical myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common problem among workers who have large amount of computer use. Additionally, owing to the high workload and long hours of staying in thier cubicle, the office employees are often unable to have extra time to receive rehabilitation and treatment regularly. A home-based surface electrical stimulation (SES) program is developed to help intervention be time-saving and more accessible for office-based staff busy at work. In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, participants will be assigned to one of the following three groups and undergo 3 weeks (20 minutes/ time, three times/ week) of intervention: 1. SES combined with telemedical support 2. SES 3. No intervention The outcome assessments will be performed before and after the intervention (0-wk and 4-wk) and 4 weeks after the endpoint of intervention (8-wk). The outcome assessor was blind to the intervention and group allocation.
Interventions
DEVICESurface electrical stimulation (SES)
Participants will undergo 3 weeks (20 minutes/ time, three times/ week) of SES intervention.
OTHERRemote medical support
The remote medical support includes a session of video call with a rehabilitation doctor in the first week and weekly telehealth visits with a live physical therapist or physician. The contents of the video calls contain patient education, stretching exercises teaching and instructions of using SES for MPS.
Sponsors
Taipei Medical University WanFang Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Time of using computer \> 4hrs/day * Neck pain \> 2 months * Diagnosis of cervical myofascial pain syndrome * VAS pain ≥ 3 (0\ 10)
Exclusion criteria
* Had a history of neck surgery * Pregnancy * Systematic disease (e.g. autoimmune disorders, arthritis, infection, etc.) * Malignancy * Neurological signs such as radiating pain, motor weakness in the upper extremities. * Skin defect or scars at the planned placement of SES * Pacemaker user * History of seizure attack * History of diabetes * Fear of receiving SES
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pain intensity | 4 weeks | A visual analog scale (VAS, scoring from 0-10) is used to measure a participant's pain intensity. The participant indicates their level of pain on average over the past 3 days. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Range of motion of the neck | 8 weeks | The range of motion of the neck is measured by using motion capture system with the IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensors. |
| Pain intensity | 8 weeks | A visual analog scale (VAS, scoring from 0-10) is used to measure a participant's pain intensity. The participant indicates their level of pain on average and at its worst during work or at rest over the past 3 days. |
| Pain pressure threshold (kg/m2) | 8 weeks | The pain pressure threshold is measured by using a hand-held dynamometer. |
| Neck disability index (NDI, 0~100%) | 8 weeks | The NDI is a questionnaire used for assessing self-rated disability in patient participant with neck pain of mechanical origin. |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI, scoring from 0~63) | 8 weeks | The BAI is a brief, self-report assessment for measuring anxiety severity and level. |
Countries
Taiwan
Outcome results
None listed