Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28827229›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2017

Safety and feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with sensorimotor retraining in chronic low back pain: a protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Adam Louis Ouellette, Matthew B Liston, Wei-Ju Chang, David M Walton, Benedict Martin Wand, Siobhan M Schabrun

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05830851 (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Aerobic Exercise for the Treatment of Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05830851 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Aerobic Exercise for the Treatment of Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: a Randomized Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorEuropean University of MadridRan2023 to 2024Enrolled38ConditionsLow Back Pain, Chronic Low-back PainArmsreal tDCS and aerobic exercise, sham tDCS and aerobic exercise
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Adam Louis OuelletteBrain Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity Unit, School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Matthew B ListonBrain Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity Unit, School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Wei-Ju ChangBrain Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity Unit, School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
David M WaltonSchool of Physiotherapy, Western University, Elborn College, London, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9155-3337
Benedict Martin WandThe University of Notre Dame Australia, The University of Western Sydney, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
Siobhan M SchabrunBrain Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity Unit, School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9083-3107
Western Sydney University · AUWestern University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionChronic low back pain (LBP) is a common and costly health problem yet current treatments demonstrate at best, small effects. The concurrent application of treatments with synergistic clinical and mechanistic effects may improve outcomes in chronic LBP. This pilot trial aims to (1) determine the feasibility, safety and perceived patient response to a combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and sensorimotor retraining intervention in chronic LBP and (2) provide data to support a sample size calculation for a fully powered trial should trends of effectiveness be present. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A pilot randomised, assessor and participant-blind, sham-controlled trial will be conducted. Eighty participants with chronic LBP will be randomly allocated to receive either (1) active tDCS + sensorimotor retraining or (2) sham tDCS + sensorimotor retraining. tDCS (active or sham) will be applied to the primary motor cortex for 20 min immediately prior to 60 min of supervised sensorimotor retraining twice per week for 10 weeks. Participants in both groups will complete home exercises three times per week. Feasibility, safety, pain, disability and pain system function will be assessed immediately before and after the 10-week intervention. Analysis of feasibility and safety will be performed using descriptive statistics. Statistical analyses will be conducted based on intention-to-treat and per protocol and will be used to determine trends for effectiveness. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been gained from the institutional human research ethics committee (H10184). Written informed consent will be provided by all participants. Results from this pilot study will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12616000624482.

Indexed as

Transcranial Direct Current StimulationAustraliaChronic DiseaseExercise TherapyFeedback, SensoryHumansLow Back PainMotor CortexPain MeasurementPilot ProjectsResearch Designchronic low back painsensorimotor retrainingtranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID28827229
PMCPMC5577893
OpenAlexW2746791091

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.