Modern Pain Neuroscience Applied to Chronic Pain in Patients With Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders
CompletedNot applicableNCT03239938
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This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
Modern pain neuroscience has advanced our understanding of chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Previous studies have shown the importance of central sensitization, characterized by hypersensitivity of the somatosensory system, in explaining poor treatment outcome. Therefore, and to address the need for a better treatment of chronic WAD, we recently proposed a modern neuroscience approach to chronic WAD. Such approach includes two specific parts: therapeutic pain neuroscience education followed by dynamic and functional cognition-targeted exercise therapy and stress management techniques. The primary scientific objective of the study entails examining the effectiveness of a modern neuroscience approach versus usual care evidence-based physiotherapy for reducing dysfunctioning in patients with chronic WAD. The secondary scientific objective of the study entails examining the effectiveness of a modern neuroscience approach versus usual care evidence-based physiotherapy for reducing pain, central sensitization, psychosocial problems, and socio-economic burden in patients with chronic WAD. The trial will randomize 120 patients with chronic WAD, aged between 18 and 65 years, to the experimental (modern pain neuroscience approach including 3 sessions of therapeutic pain neuroscience education followed by 15 sessions of dynamic and functional cognition-targeted exercise therapy and stress management techniques (n = 60)) or the control treatment (usual care physiotherapy including 3 sessions of neck school followed by 15 sessions of graded and active exercise therapy focusing on strength, flexibility, endurance, and ergonomic principles (n= 60)). The primary outcome measure is self-reported functional status. Secondary outcome measures include pain, health-related quality of life, psychological correlates, measures of central sensitization, and socio-economic factors. In addition, quantitative scalp Electroencephalography (EEG) to measure various parameters of brain…
Study details
- Official title
- Contemporary Pain Neuroscience Compared to Usual Care Evidence-based Physiotherapy Applied to Chronic Pain in Patients With Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders: Can we Decrease Central Sensitization?
- Conditions
- Whiplash
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Modern pain neuroscience approach
- Behavioral: Usual care evidence-based physiotherapy
- Sponsor
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Collaborators
- University Hospital, Ghent; University Ghent; Research Foundation Flanders; Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel
- Start date
- 2017-08-17
- Primary completion
- 2022-06-13
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 65 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Belgium
- Total sites listed
- 3
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * Experienced a whiplash trauma which is at least 3 months old and causes pain since at least 3 months, with pain experience with a mean pain frequency of 3 or more days per week, and with self-reported moderate to severe pain-related disability, established by a score of 15 or more of a maximum of 50 on the Neck Disability Index * Patients classified as WAD II or WAD III on the modified Quebec Task Force Scale * Native Dutch speaker * Not starting new treatments or medication and continuing their usual care 6 weeks prior to and during study participation (to obtain a steady state) * Refraining from non-opioid analgesics in the previous 48h of the assessments * Refraining from caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine in the previous 24h of the assessments Exclusion Criteria: * Neuropathic pain * Being pregnant or having given birth in the preceding year * Chronic fatigue syndrome * Fibromyalgia * Cardiovascular disorders * Epilepsy * Endocrinological disorders * Rheumatic disorders * Psychiatric disorders * History of neck surgery * Loss of consciousness during/after the whiplash trauma * Post-traumatic amnesia
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03239938