Suprathreshold Pressure Pain Stimulation in Fibromyalgia

Overview

The purpose of this study is to investigate the induced-pain characteristics after suprathreshold pressure stimulation at different intensities in fibromyalgia subjects, compared with healthy volunteers.

Full Title of Study: “Pain Response Characteristics to Different Doses of Suprathreshold Pressure Stimulation in Fibromyalgia Subjects”

Study Type

  • Study Type: Observational
  • Study Design
    • Time Perspective: Prospective
  • Study Primary Completion Date: September 18, 2019

Detailed Description

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic painful, non-inflammatory rheumatic disease with a high negative impact on the quality of life, and is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue and generalised hyperalgesia on examination, symptoms that can be the consequence of central sensitization. Despite several methods have successfully addressed this increased responsiveness of nociceptive neurons in the central nervous system, there is a lack of consensus about how to systematically perform them and those that are more appropriated for different syndromes. Therefore, investigating appropriate simple methods to assess clinical manifestations of central sensitization is relevant in the assessment of fibromyalgia. The present study aims to investigate the pain response after suprathreshols pressure stimulation in fibromyalgia subjects compared with healthy volunteers.

Interventions

  • Device: Suprathreshold pain stimulation
    • Suprathreshold pain stimulation will be applied in the infraspinatus muscle (point equidistant between the midpoint of the spine of the scapula, the inferior angle of the scapula and the midpoint of the medial border of the scapula) with a pressure algometer (Force Ten ™, Wagner Instruments, USA). Four suprathreshold pressure stimulations (pressure pain threshold + 20%, +30%, +40% and +50%) will be made for 60 seconds, with a minimum rest of 5 minutes between each stimulation. The sequence of stimulation (ascending or descending) will be randomized.

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Healthy volunteers

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Referred pain induced area after suprathreshold pressure stimulation
    • Time Frame: Inmediately after each stimulation
    • After each stimulation (120%, 130%, 140% and 150%), the subject should draw the induced pain area on a digital bodychart using the Navigate Pain application (Navigate Pain, Aalborg University, Denmark). The size of the areas of referred pain will be extracted in pixels.

Secondary Measures

  • Pain intensity
    • Time Frame: Inmediately after each stimulation
    • It will be measured with a visual analog scale (VAS) of 100 millimeters in length. The subject has to indicate the level of pain he feels, being 0 the absence of pain and 100 the maximum imaginable.
  • Body regions afected by pain after suprathreshold pressure stimulation
    • Time Frame: Inmediately after each stimulation
    • The digital body chart will be divided into 15 different regions: (1) posterior head and neck area; (2) supraspinal area; (3) infraspinatus area; (4) posterior shoulder area; (5) back area; (6) posterior arm area; (7) posterior forearm area; (8) posterior hand area; (9) anterior head and neck area; (10) supraclavicular area; (11) chest area; (12) anterior shoulder area; (13) anterior arm area; (14) anterior forearm area; (15) anterior hand area. The total number of body regions afected by pain will be recorded.

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age between 18 and 80 years – Fullfilled the American Collegue of Rheumathology criteria for fibromyalgia. – Understanding of spoken and written Spanish. Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed psychiatric pathology. – Rheumatic pathology not medically controlled.

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Maximum Age: 80 Years

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • University of Castilla-La Mancha
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Sponsor
  • Overall Official(s)
    • Rubén Arroyo Fernández, MsC, PT, Principal Investigator, University of Castilla-La Mancha

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