The efficiency of tactile discrimination training and oculomotor exercises in people with chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

Background: Tactile discrimination training (TDT) and oculomotor exercises (OEs) have been widely used somatosensory-based interventions for a wide range of chronic pain conditions. There is, however, little evidence for the effectiveness of these approaches in people with chronic neck pain. This study aimed to determine the superiority of one intervention over another on pain outcomes in people with chronic neck pain.

Methods: Fifty seven participants were randomly divided into three groups: TDT, OEs, and a control group who received no intervention. TDT, OEs groups received either TDT or OEs, respectively, three times per week for four weeks. The control group received no intervention. Pain intensity, neck pain-related disability, pressure pain thresholds (PPTs), mechanical pain of temporal summation (mTSP), and conditioned pain modulation were assessed as pain outcomes. Depending on the normality, a repeated measures ANOVA or F1-LD-F1 design was used to analyse the data.

Results: A significant group*time interaction and main effects for time were found for pain intensity (p: 0.001, p: 0.001, respectively) and pain-related disability (p < 0.019, p < 0.009; respectively). There was a significant main effect for time for mTSP at the painful side of the neck (p: 0.022). TDT and OEs resulted in a significantly higher improvement in pain intensity (p: 0.005, p < 0.001; respectively) and neck pain-related disability (p: 0.005, p: 0.007; respectively). There was a higher improvement in pain intensity in OEs group compared to TDT group (p: 0.010). A significantly higher improvement in PPT at the painful site after OEs was found (p: 0.038). The control group demonstrated a significantly higher improvement in mTSP in the painful area of the neck (p: 0.048). There were no other significant within- or between-group changes.

Conclusion: OEs and TDT are effective somatosensory-based interventions for improving pain intensity and pain-related disability.

Impact: This study demonstrated that sensory retraining interventions improves the subjective pain perception.

Trial registration: Trial Registration Number: NCT05605132, Date of trial registration: 10/29/2022, Name of trial registry: Neck Pain.