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Abstract
BackgroundBack and neck pain are common conditions that have a high burden of disease. Changes in somatosensory function in the periphery, the spinal cord and the brain have been well documented at the time when these conditions have become chronic. It is unknown, however, how early these changes occur, what the timecourse is of sensory dysfunction and what the specific nature of these changes are in the first 12 weeks after onset of pain. In this paper, we describe the protocol for a systematic review of the literature on somatosensory dysfunction in the first 12 weeks after pain onset.Methods and designWe will conduct a comprehensive search for articles indexed in the databases Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial (CENTRAL) from their inception to August 2013 that report on any aspect of somatosensory function in acute or subacute neck or back pain. Two independent reviewers will screen studies for eligibility, assess risk of bias and extract relevant data. Results will be tabulated and a narrative synthesis of the results conducted.DiscussionCurrently, there is a gap in our knowledge about the timing of somatosensory changes in back and neck pain. The systematic review outlined in this protocol aims to address this knowledge gap and inform developments in diagnostic tools and pain mechanism-based treatments.Trial RegistrationOur protocol has been registered on PROSPERO, CRD42013005113.
Highlights
Back and neck pain are common conditions that have a high burden of disease
Currently, there is a gap in our knowledge about the timing of somatosensory changes in back and neck pain
The systematic review outlined in this protocol aims to address this knowledge gap and inform developments in diagnostic tools and pain mechanism-based treatments
Summary
Study registration The protocol of this systematic review has been registered on PROSPERO 2013 [15] (registration number: CRD42013005113). These features are: (1) that the sample was clearly described; (2) that the sample was representative of the target population; (3) that the somatosensory assessment method used was standardized, validated and fully described; (4) that there was blinding of those assessing somatosensory function to group allocation (where relevant); and (5) that factors known to influence pain assessment were evaluated or controlled for in the analysis (for psychophysical studies) For this last item, known confounders include medication use, caffeine intake prior to testing, comorbid pain condition, different testing times during the day and phase of menstrual cycle (females) [18]. The risk of bias assessment of included studies will be summarized in a table and results and implications will be critically discussed
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