The Nociceptive Flexion Reflex as a Diagnostic Tool of Central Sensitization

Launched by UNIVERSITY GHENT · Apr 1, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring how pain sensitivity works in patients with different types of pain, such as fibromyalgia, neck pain, and low back pain. The researchers want to find out if certain pain responses, like how much pain someone feels from a small electrical shock, are caused by issues in the local area of pain or if they reflect a more widespread problem in the nervous system, known as central sensitization. By comparing patients with chronic pain to those with acute pain and to healthy individuals, the study aims to understand better how these pain responses differ based on the type of pain and its origin—whether it's due to trauma or not.

To participate, individuals must meet specific criteria. For example, fibromyalgia patients should have a diagnosis based on established guidelines, while neck pain patients should have certain types of neck complaints. Healthy volunteers are also needed, provided they have no significant history of pain issues. Participants can expect to undergo tests that assess their pain sensitivity and responses to various types of stimulation. This research may provide valuable insights into how pain conditions develop and how they might be treated in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria Fibromyalgia patients:
• • - diagnosed according to 2010 ACR-criteria
• Inclusion Criteria neck pain patients:
• • - having idiopathic neck pain complaints or having grade 1 (pain, stiffness or tenderness of the neck and without objective physical abnormalities) or grade 2 (neck complaints and musculoskeletal disorders such as decreased range of motion and tender pain points) according to the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash Associated Disorders
• Inclusion Criteria low back pain patients:
• • - having idiopathic low back pain complaints
• Inclusion Criteria healthy controls:
• • no history of serious pain complaints (e.g. severe migraine, fibromyalgia, etc.)
• • no low back or neck pain complaints with an intensity of ≥2/10 on a visual analogue scale in the past year and of such severity that the daily activities were disrupted and a (para)medic was consulted
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • history of severe respiratory (e.g. cystic fibrosis), orthopedic (e.g. whiplash trauma), neurological (e.g. cerebrovascular incident), cardiovascular (e.g. severe hypertension), or endocrinological (e.g. diabetes) disorders
• • recent psychological trauma (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder)
• • history of spinal surgery (e.g. lumbar discectomy), spinal trauma (e.g. vertebral fracture), or severe spinal deformities (e.g. spondylolisthesis)
• • BMI ≥35 (due to potential difficulties in obtaining an NFR in severely overweight individuals)
• • having pacemakers and defibrillators (absolute exclusion criteria for electrical stimulus stimulation, i.e. TENS)
• • pregnancy, lactation, or within 1 year postpartum