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OsteoarthritisNCT01137266

Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Pain and Disability in Patients With Osteoarthritis

A study testing TENS in people with Osteoarthritis, run by Maxima Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain and mobility by comparing different stimulation sitesP: 1. the location with the lowest resistance 2. the location that causes an irradiation sensation 3. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Osteoarthritis
What is being tested?
TENS
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
72 participants
Where
1 siteNetherlands
Study dates
Jul 2008to Sep 2010
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • osteo-arthritis patients diagnosed by medical professional
  • at least 18 years old
  • VAS higher than 40mm, lower than 70mm (on a 100 mm VAS scale) at the moment of the investigation
  • pain symptoms duration longer than 3 months

Who cannot join

  • unable to comprehend instructions
  • unable to co-operate
  • malignancy
  • recent bleeding tissue or haemorrhage in knee
  • epilepsy
  • advanced cardiovascular conditions, e.g. severe angina or cardiac arrhythmias
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Pacemakers or cochlear implants
  • pregnant
  • sensory loss of the area to be treated
  • devitalised skin e.g. after recent radiotherapy;
  • local acute skin conditions e.g. eczema, dermatitis
  • doubtful diagnoses
  • global, multiple location pain (other than both knees)
  • people who undergo currently a TENS treatment

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Netherlands1 site
  • Maxima Medical Centre

    Eindhoven, North Brabant

Other trials in Netherlands

About this study

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain and mobility by comparing different stimulation sitesP:

  1. the location with the lowest resistance
  2. the location that causes an irradiation sensation
  3. a random stimulation site (but within a 10x10cm area of the irradiation site). The effect is defined as the pain VAS baseline-measurement before treatment minus the pain VAS repeat-measurement after the given treatment
Read the detailed description

SUMMARY

Rationale: In clinical practice the position of TENS electrodes appears to be critical to success. It is claimed that electrodes should target areas with high neural density and where nerve bundles come close to the body surface. These areas are likely to have low skin resistances. Research in the field of electro-analgesia suggests areas of low skin resistance are linked to TENS stimulation points, and that this lower skin resistance may reflect areas with a higher density of neural tissue. When stimulated these areas are likely to generate larger nerve activity and potentially a greater analgesic outcome. For this reason many acupuncturist use a point finder to locate the optimal site to insert the acupuncture needle. To date the relationship between the skin resistance of the areas stimulated by TENS and pain relief is not known.

At present, optimal sites for electrode positioning is made ad hoc using a trial and error approach. This may result in electrodes being positioned at sub-optimal sites. The Philips new electronic pain relief device contains an array, or matrix, of small electrodes. Using this array, the device can measure electrical skin properties. In addition, the user can select which electrodes in the array are active and can adjust the intensity of those electrodes so that stimulation can be targeted to a specific location. In this way it is possible to investigate whether stimulating areas of low skin resistance has an effect on pain relief.

With a novel matrix TENS electrode we would like to investigate the TENS outcome for different electrode specifically chosen locations versus randomly chosen locations. Randomly chosen locations are defined as an area of approximately 10x10 cm around the specifically chosen location in which the random simulation point is chosen. The outcome of the specific vs. random stimulation will be measured with as primary outcome pain and mobility and as secondary outcome strength, joint range, and quality of life.

Objective: Determine effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain and mobility by comparing different stimulation sites; 1) the location with the lowest resistance, 2) the location that causes an irradiation sensation, 3) a random stimulation site (but within a 10x10cm area of the irradiation site). The effect is defined as the pain VAS baseline-measurement before treatment minus the pain VAS repeat-measurement after the given treatment

Study design: double-blind intervention study

Study population: Patients with chronic pain arise from osteo-arthritis in one or both knees Age (>18y), sex and ethnic background are not relevant

Intervention (if applicable): Patients receive a 3 times 30 minutes TENS treatment.

Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome parameters are pain (VAS) and mobility (PDI and 6 min walk). Secondary outcome parameters are strength (MVC) and range-of-motion (ROM) in knee extension and quality of life (SF36).

Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: There is no risk for the patients. The burden for the participants is 3 times 1 hour.

Conditions
Osteoarthritis
Being tested
TENS
Keywords
chronic pain osteo-arthritis in one or both knees, adults
Medical subject headings
Osteoarthritis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TENSDevice

    TENS

Study groups in NCT01137266
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
skin resistenceActive comparator1) the location with the lowest resistance
Receives: Device: TENS
irradiationActive comparator2) the site that causes an irradiation sensation
Receives: Device: TENS
randomActive comparator3) a random stimulation site.
Receives: Device: TENS

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Determine the effect of TENS on pain and mobility for each treatment group separately. Also determine the differences of the effect of TENS by comparing different stimulation sites;

    outcomes of the tests are stored at the PC. If all results of all patients are ready. Results will be statistically analysed.This will be in 1 year.

    Measured: 1 year

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. relationship between skin resistance values before stimulation with the sensations during TENS.Explore whether there is a relation between physiological or psychological characteristics of patients and outcome of TENS and user satisfaction questionnaire

    outcomes of the tests are stored at the PC. If all results of all patients are ready. Results will be statistically analysed.This will be in 1 year.

    Measured: 1 year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Jun 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2008
  3. Primary completionSep 2010
  4. Study completionSep 2010

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
72 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01137266
Sponsor's protocol ID
NL2073208008
Status last verified
Jul 2009
First submitted
28 Jan 2010
Last updated
8 Oct 2010
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing TENS in people with Osteoarthritis, run by Maxima Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 14 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Oct 2010. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Determine the effect of TENS on pain and mobility for each treatment group separately. Also determine the differences of the effect of TENS by comparing different stimulation sites; (time frame: 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Oct 2010.

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