Are subjective pain scores related to facial muscle activity?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A comparison of facial muscle responses with reported pain scores in patients undergoing a routine clinical procedure.
IRAS ID
254294
Contact name
Charles Nduka
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN61520151
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study aims to discover if we can compare the pain felt by patients with a measurement of how their faces move. Facial movements will be assessed using muscle activity sensors worn like a pair of glasses/ goggles that measure underlying muscle activity. Past studies show facial expression is sensitive to the intensity of pain. Laboratory studies looking at pain in volunteers suggest facial electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle activity could be a useful tool to determine the pain an individual is suffering. This may have particular relevance to patients where communication is limited eg dementia.
This is a small-scale study to validate an experimental model in the clinical environment. We propose studying at patients receiving a local anaesthetic injection before planned hand operation. Whilst they are receiving the injection we will record the facial muscle response non-invasively using specialized goggles containing muscle sensors. Simultaneously we will record the patients experience of pain using a self-reported visual analogue score (VAS). Importantly pain expectation will also be considered, and we will also be assessing participant anxiety traits and status prior to intervention.50 adult patients requiring hand surgery under a local anaesthetic block at the Queen Victoria Hospital will be studied. The study will be the observation and recording of data from patients undergoing routine clinical care only. It will not involve any additional procedures. The study will run for 6 months and we will publish all the findings within 1 year.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0274
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion