Effects of Acute Exercise on Pain and Human Movement

Dalarna University82 enrolled

Overview

The aim of this research project is to evaluate the effect of an acute exercise intervention on pain intensity and movement control. It also aims to investigate potential differences in movement control between patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain compared to healthy controls. All tests will be conducted at Dalarna University. After the initial baseline tests, participants will be randomised to either acute exercise intervention group or to a control group not performing any intervention groups (both patients and controls will be randomised to intervention or control). If randomised to the control group, participants rests corresponding to the time it takes to perform the intervention (30 min), and then preform the post-intervention tests similar as the intervention group.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Chronic Musculoskeletal Disease Chronic Pain, Widespread

Interventions

Acute exerciseOTHER

30 min acute exercise (bicycle at stationary cycle)

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 67 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria for participants with chronic pain: * Men and women, age 18-67 years, * good ability to understand written and verbal information and instruction given in Swedish, * chronic (\>3 months) musculoskeletal pain or chronic widespread pain. Inclusion criteria for healthy controls: * Men and women, age 18-67 years, * good ability to understand written and verbal information and instruction given in Swedish. Exclusion Criteria: For participants with chronic pain * chronic pain caused by malignancies or systemic diseases, other physical conditions that affects functional abilities and implies use of walking aid in-door, * pregnancy after week 12, childbirth within the last 3 months or * spinal surgery. For healthy controls: * chronic (\>3 months) or acute pain of any cause, * other physical conditions that affects functional abilities, and implies use of walking aids in-door, * pregnancy after week 12, childbirth in the last 3 months or * spinal surgery.

Locations (1)

Dalarna University (LIVI lab)

Falun, Dalarna County, Sweden

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Kinematic measures of human movement during functional gait sequences

Objective measures of movement control using sophisticated wearable sensors (accelerometer-based APDM-sensors applied at participants wrists, ankles, chest and head) during walking in 1) self-selected normal gait speed, 2) a brisk gait speed, 3) self-selected normal gait speed with a concurrent cognitive task (1-back test: participants listens to a recording of a voice that presents random series of digits between 1 to 9 with two seconds apart. The participants will be instructed to respond as quickly and accurately as possible, repeating the digit before the last one in the sequence.). Lumbar trunk rotations (degrees) will specifically be evaluated while many other kinematic variables (walking speed, step length, step width etc) will be analyzed with factor analyz-es to reduce data variables to relevant data domains, such as gait stability. Data will be aggregated as means and variances.

Time frame: 30 minutes (before and after the acute exercise intervention)

Muscle activity

Evaluation of back muscle activity using electromyographics (EMG) during walking as in outcome 1, i.e. in 1) self-selected normal gait speed, 2) a brisk gait speed, 3) self-selected normal gait speed with a concurrent cognitive task (1-back test). Participants will be instrumented with surface-EMG (Delsys Incorporated, Massachusetts) electrodes applied bilateral at participants back and neck muscles. Back and neck spatial and temporal muscle activity (EMG amplitudes) representing repeated gait cycles will be aggregated to one cycle; factor analyzes may be applied to reduce data variables to relevant data domains. Data will be presented as means and variances.

Time frame: 30 minutes (before and after the acute exercise intervention)

Secondary Outcomes

Self-rated pain using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS scale).

Self-rated pain will be measured using a horizontal 10-cm line "Visual Analogue Scale" (VAS) with the statement 'no pain at all' at the extreme left-hand end, and 'the worst possible pain' or 'unbearable' at the right-hand extreme.

Time frame: 30 minutes (before and after the acute exercise intervention)

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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