An interventional study of Nocebo and Placebo in Kinesiophobia, sponsored by Université de Sherbrooke. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-06-05.
Sponsored by Université de Sherbrooke · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
Fear of movement (kinesiophobia) is a phenomenon commonly observed in people suffering from chronic pain. The aims of this project are to better understand the neurophysiological basis of this phenomenon, in particular 1) the effect of kinesiophobia (induced by nocebo intervention) on the excitability of corticospinal projections and 2) the association between kinesiophobia and top-down inhibitory mechanisms.
The study will include 44 healthy (pain-free) participants. Corticospinal measurements will be taken before and after the application of capsaicin cream (experimental pain paradigm). The investigators will manipulate kinesiophobia levels (assessed using the Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale) upward by pretending to diagnose a musculoskeletal problem in half of the participants (nocebo ultrasound), and will measure the efficacy of top-down inhibitory mechanisms using a counter-irritation paradigm (thermode and cold pressor test : the subjects will be subjected to 5 thermal stimulations, 7 mechanical stimulations and 1 water bath at 10°C of the hand) and corticospinal parameters using transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Together, these results will allow a better understanding of the mechanisms associated with a predictor of pain onset (such as kinesiophobia), by studying its interactions with endogenous pain inhibition systems and the motor system, in order to develop relevant prophylactic treatments.
243 studies on the registry are indexed under Kinesiophobia; 89 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 24 is below the median of 51 across 145 interventional studies indexed under Kinesiophobia.
Browse Kinesiophobia studies →Université de Sherbrooke is the lead sponsor of 289 studies on the registry; 68 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Ultrasound with fake results of rotator cuff injury.
Behavioral: Nocebo
Ultrasound with fake results of the healthy rotator cuff.
Behavioral: Placebo
Nocebo ultrasound with diagnosis of a fake shoulder cuff injury.
Placebo ultrasound with no diagnosis of injury.
Corticospinal excitability
The corticospinal excitability will be assessed using motor evoked potentials at different intensity of stimulation (from motor threshold to maximal amplitude response).
Time frame: 1 hour
downward inhibition of pain
Inhibitory mechanisms will be assessed by comparing pain levels (measured using a computerized visual analog scale \[0 = no pain; 10 = worst pain imaginable\]) evoked by a test stimulus before and after a conditioning stimulus. Pain levels evoked by the test stimulus before the conditioning stimulus will be subtracted from pain levels evoked by the test stimulus after the pain stimulus, such that a positive score represents increased pain (hyperalgesia) and a negative score represents decreased pain (hypoalgesia, i.e., inhibitory mechanisms).
Time frame: 1 hour
Plan to share: No
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This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Université de Sherbrooke