Physical exercises and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are both known to reduce chronic pain in structured laboratory studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of this combined treatment in clinical settings.
Chronic pain patients who are going to the physiotherapy clinic to receive tDCS treatment sessions are evaluated in order to assess the efficacy of tDCS in clinical settings. Physiotherapists prescribe physical exercises adapted to the patients conditions. Patients performed their physical exercises every time they received a tDCS treatment, but were also recommended to continue their physical exercises program at home after completion of physiotherapy visits. Concerning tDCS treatment, patients were encouraged to receive 1 tDCS session per day for 5 consecutive days.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
30
5 daily sessions of tDCS (2mA, 20 min) were recommended to all patients. Physical exercises were also done at the physiotherapy clinic. Physical exercises program was recommended to be continued at home after the week of physiotherapy visits.
Physio-Atlas
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
RECRUITINGChange in McGill pain Questionnaire
qualitative and quantitative aspects of pain
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Brief Pain Inventory
Physical Function
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Tampa Questionnaire
Kinesiophobia
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Beck Depression Inventory
Depression
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week, 1 month
Change in Patient global impression of change
Impression of change
Time frame: 1 week, 1 month
Number of sessions received
Feasibility; did the patients received all their tDCS sessions in 5 days (1 per day)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 days
Side effect
Side effect reported by the patients (headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, redness, tingling)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 days
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