Sub-profiling of people with spinally referred leg pain
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving clinical diagnosis for people with spinally referred leg pain: do clinical sub-groups of people with spinally referred leg pain have distinct quantitative sensory profiles? A feasibility study.
IRAS ID
236026
Contact name
Colette Ridehalgh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Brighton
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Back related leg pain can be from a number of causes, and broadly 4 sub-groups have been suggested based on the type of pain that a person is complaining of. Briefly, the sub-groups consist of pain caused by direct pressure on nerves that leave the spine, irritation of these same nerves, and dysfunction of spinal joints and muscles, and these can be identified by clinical assessment. However, there is limited research which has investigated these sub-groups in people with low back related leg pain. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a standardised assessment which has been used to identify how nerves which carry information about sensation are working. It has been used to provide sub-profiles for people with pain related to nerve damage, which has lead to the specific treatment of these painful conditions.
The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of a study which will assess whether 4 clinical sub-groups identifiable in practice from simple clinical assessment have distinct QST profiles. In addition, it will assess if any other characteristics such as anxiety, depression, health and well-being and pain characteristics are distinctly different in the 4 groups. Such information may assist in the management of people with this condition in the future.
Participants will be recruited from the physiotherapy spinal clinics of a local NHS trust and grouped according to the cause of their referred leg pain by Physiotherapists working in the clinics. Questionnaires which assess pain, psychosocial and health and well-being will be given to the patient to complete.
QST assessing sensitivity to thermal and mechanical stimuli will be performed in the back and leg. The research process will last around two hours, and the participant only needs to attend this one session.REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0520
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion