Motivational Interviewing in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Browse trials for

• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome 33
• Chronic Pain 2,917

Keywords

• Motivational Interviewing
• Chronic Pain
• Home Exercise Program
• Psychological Resilience
• Central Sensitization
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Study arms

• Experimental
  Motivational Interviewing + Home Exercise

  Participants randomly assigned to this arm receive a standardized 6-week home exercise program in addition to up to 4 face-to-face motivational interviewing (MI) sessions. The first two MI sessions are conducted one week apart, and the remaining two sessions two weeks apart, completing all 4 sessions within 6 weeks. MI sessions are delivered by a physiotherapist and a clinical psychologist trained in motivational interviewing techniques, and address ambivalence, goal setting, and behavior change related to pain management and adherence to the exercise program. The home exercise program is taught face-to-face by a physiotherapist and includes scalene and upper trapezius stretching, pectoralis minor stretching, median and ulnar nerve mobilization exercises, scapular stabilization exercises (middle/lower trapezius and rhomboids), and diaphragmatic breathing training, to be performed 3 times daily, 10 repetitions per sessio

  Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing · Behavioral: Home Exercise Program

• Active comparator
  Home Exercise Only

  Participants randomly assigned to this arm receive the same standardized 6-week home exercise program as the experimental arm, without motivational interviewing sessions. The home exercise program is taught face-to-face by a physiotherapist and includes scalene and upper trapezius stretching, pectoralis minor stretching, median and ulnar nerve mobilization exercises, scapular stabilization exercises (middle/lower trapezius and rhomboids), and diaphragmatic breathing training, to be performed 3 times daily, 10 repetitions per session, for 6 weeks.

  Behavioral: Home Exercise Program

Interventions

• BehavioralMotivational Interviewing

  A patient-centered counseling approach consisting of up to 4 face-to-face sessions delivered over 6 weeks. Sessions follow motivational interviewing (MI) principles, including collaborative engagement, open-ended questions, reflective listening, affirmations, and summarizing, to explore ambivalence and elicit change talk. Sessions address goal setting, decisional balance regarding behavior change, and strategies to support adherence to pain self-management and the home exercise program.

• BehavioralHome Exercise Program

  A standardized 6-week home exercise program taught face-to-face by a physiotherapist, including scalene and upper trapezius stretching (15 seconds per repetition), pectoralis minor stretching (15 seconds per repetition), median and ulnar nerve self-mobilization exercises, scapular stabilization exercises targeting the middle and lower trapezius and rhomboid muscles using elastic resistance bands, and diaphragmatic breathing training. The program is performed 3 times daily, 10 repetitions per exercise, for 6 weeks. Participants maintain an exercise diary to track adherence.

Primary outcomes

1. Pain Intensity (Visual Analog Scale)

   Pain intensity assessed using a 10 cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS), separately for pain at rest, during activity, and at night. Scores range from 0 (no pain) to 10 (unbearable pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

1. Upper Extremity Function (DASH Questionnaire)

   Upper extremity function and symptoms assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, a 30-item scale covering daily activities, symptoms, and social/work/sleep impact. Scores are transformed to range from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater disability.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

2. Central Sensitization (Central Sensitization Inventory)

   Central sensitization-related symptoms assessed using Part A of the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), a 25-item questionnaire with each item scored from 0 (never) to 4 (always). Total scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater central sensitization. A cut-off score of 40 or above is widely used to indicate clinically significant central sensitization, with severity classified as subclinical (0-29), mild (30-39), moderate (40-49), severe (50-59), or extreme (60-100).

   Time frame: 6 weeks

3. Kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia)

   Fear of movement and re-injury assessed using the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), a 17-item questionnaire with each item scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 17 to 68. Higher scores indicate greater kinesiophobia.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

4. Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21)

   Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), a 21-item scale with 7 items per subscale (Depression, Anxiety, Stress), each item scored from 0 (did not apply to me at all) to 3 (applied to me very much or most of the time). Subscale raw scores are summed and multiplied by 2 to allow comparison with normative data from the original 42-item DASS. Higher scores indicate greater severity. Severity is classified using standard cut-offs: Depression (Normal 0-9, Mild 10-13, Moderate 14-20, Severe 21-27, Extremely Severe 28+), Anxiety (Normal 0-7, Mild 8-9, Moderate 10-14, Severe 15-19, Extremely Severe 20+), and Stress (Normal 0-14, Mild 15-18, Moderate 19-25, Severe 26-33, Extremely Severe 34+).

   Time frame: 6 weeks

5. Psychological Resilience (Brief Resilience Scale)

   Psychological resilience assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), a 6-item scale with each item scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); 3 items are reverse-scored. Total scores range from 1.00 to 5.00. Scores are classified as low (1.00-2.99), normal (3.00-4.30), or high (4.31-5.00) resilience.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

6. Pain Self-Efficacy (Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire)

   Pain self-efficacy assessed using the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), a 10-item scale with each item scored from 0 (not at all confident) to 6 (completely confident). Total scores range from 0 to 60. Higher scores indicate greater pain self-efficacy.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

7. Pain Coping (Pain Coping Inventory)

   Pain coping strategies assessed using the Pain Coping Inventory (PCI), a 22-item scale covering 6 subscales of active coping (distraction, pain transformation, reducing demands) and passive coping (worrying, resting, retreating). Each item is scored from 1 (rarely or never) to 4 (very often). Higher subscale scores indicate greater use of that coping strategy. There is no universally established cut-off value; subscale scores are interpreted continuously.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

8. Sleep Quality (Jenkins Sleep Scale)

   Sleep disturbance assessed using the Jenkins Sleep Scale, a 4-item questionnaire with each item scored from 0 (not at all) to 5 (22-28 nights). Total scores range from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater sleep disturbance.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

9. Anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory)

   State and trait anxiety assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), a 40-item scale (20 items per subscale) with each item scored from 1 to 4. Subscale scores range from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety. There is no universally established cut-off value; scores are interpreted continuously.

   Time frame: 6 weeks

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared due to ethical and privacy considerations related to the sensitive nature of the psychological and pain-related data collected, and because no data sharing infrastructure or participant consent for external data sharing was established for this study.