Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Setting to Reduce Pain in Older Workers

NCT ID: NCT05370833

Last Updated: 2023-07-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 24 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-05-15
• Study Completion Date: 2024-05-30

Brief Summary

Chronic pain is one of the main factors influencing workers' retention at work. Considering that the prevalence of suffering from chronic pain increases with age, older workers are most likely to be absent from work because of their pain.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a treatment option to reduce chronic pain.

This study aims to document the effect of tDCS on pain and work retention in older workers and to compare the traditional tDCS protocol (5 sessions) with an enhanced protocol (11 sessions).

Detailed Description

Chronic pain affects many spheres of the lives of affected individuals and those around them. In Canada, the prevalence of chronic pain is estimated at 15% of adults aged 18 and over. Among seniors, the prevalence of this health problem can reach up to 50% and affect one in two seniors. Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of work disability. In this context, pain reduction remains one of the most effective methods to enable the worker to stay at work. Considering the aging Quebec population, labor needs and the average retirement age which is increasingly postponed, it becomes crucial to take an interest in aging workers and their continued employment.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neurostimulation method that has shown promise in reducing chronic pain. Recently, several research teams have shown that tDCS has beneficial effects on pain, physical function and social participation in seniors. Despite all these recent advances, very few studies have focused on optimizing tDCS treatment modalities and no studies have focused on the impact of tDCS on return to work or retention. The vast majority of studies using tDCS to reduce pain give one tDCS session per day for 5 consecutive days. This study aims to document the effect of tDCS on pain and work retention in older workers and to compare the traditional tDCS protocol (5 sessions) with an enhanced protocol (11 sessions).

Conditions

Chronic Pain; Aging

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Standard protocol

5 tDCS sessions in 1 week

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

transcranial direct current stimulation

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Anodal, 2mA, tDCS session applied on M1 for 20 minutes.

Enhanced protocol

11 tDCS sessions devised in 4 weeks

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

transcranial direct current stimulation

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Anodal, 2mA, tDCS session applied on M1 for 20 minutes.

Interventions

transcranial direct current stimulation

Anodal, 2mA, tDCS session applied on M1 for 20 minutes.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• To be more than 55 years old
• To have chronic pain
• To have employment relationship
• To have pain that interferes with work tasks

Exclusion Criteria

• tDCS contraindications (epilepsy, metallic implant in the head, pacemaker, cochlear implant)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 56 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

CISSS Abitibi-Témiscamingue

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Université de Sherbrooke

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Guillaume Léonard

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Guillaume Leonard, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Université de Sherbrooke

Locations

Clinique régionale de la gestion de la douleur - CISSSAT

Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada

Site Status: RECRUITING

Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Site Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Countries

Canada

Central Contacts

Guillaume Leonard, PhD

Role: CONTACT

guillaume.leonard2@usherbrooke.ca

819-780-2220 ext. 45246

Facility Contacts

Rodrigo Deamo, PhD

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

MP-31-2022-4640

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id