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ABSTRACT: Introduction
The chikungunya virus infection is still an epidemic in Brazil with an incidence of 59.4 cases per 100 000 in the Northeast region. More than 60% of the patients present relapsing and remitting chronic arthralgia with debilitating pain lasting for years. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears promising as a novel neuromodulation approach for pain-related networks to alleviate pain in several pain syndromes. Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS (C3/Fp2 montage) on pain, muscle strength, functionality and quality of life in chronic arthralgia.Methods and analysis
This protocol is a single-centre, parallel-design, double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial. Forty participants will be randomised to either an active or sham tDCS. A total of 10 sessions will be administered over 2 weeks (one per weekday) using a monophasic continuous current with an intensity of 2 mA for 20 min. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, after the 10th session, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after intervention.Primary outcome
pain assessed using numeric rating scale and algometry.Secondary outcomes
muscle strength, functionality and quality of life. The effects of stimulation will be calculated using a mixed analysis of variance model.Ethics and dissemination
The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairí, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (No. 2.413.851) and registered on the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials. Study results will be disseminated through presentations at conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number
RBR-469yd6.
SUBMITTER: Nascimento ASD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9615989 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Nascimento Abraão Sérvulo do ASD Cavalcante Antônio Felipe Lopes AFL Araújo Thiago Anderson Brito De TAB da Silva João Danyell Dantas JDD Silva-Filho Edson E Okano Alexandre A Peroni Gualdi Lucien L Pegado Rodrigo R
BMJ open 20221026 10
<h4>Introduction</h4>The chikungunya virus infection is still an epidemic in Brazil with an incidence of 59.4 cases per 100 000 in the Northeast region. More than 60% of the patients present relapsing and remitting chronic arthralgia with debilitating pain lasting for years. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears promising as a novel neuromodulation approach for pain-related networks to alleviate pain in several pain syndromes. Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of tD ...[more]