Tongue Pressure in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals With Chronic Cervical Pain
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age50-65
SponsorNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
About this trial
The goal of the cross-sectional study is to explore the impact of neck pain on tongue pressure in the middle-aged and elderly population and analyze the effects of different cranio-cervical positioning on tongue pressure performance.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. Do middle-aged and elderly individuals with chronic cervical pain exhibit reduced maximal tongue pressure compared to those without cervical pain? 2. What are the effects of different cranio-cervical positioning on tongue pressure performance?
Participants will complete all the assessments on the day of testing.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Aged between 50-65 year olds
Chronic neck pain (caused by specific neck movements or prolonged neck posture)
Cervical pain duration: at least 3 months within the past year
Cervical pain intensity: during activity or rest, as measured by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, must have an average score of at least 3 over the past two weeks
Disqualifiers
Neurological diseases that may affect tongue pressure readings, such as stroke or Parkinson's disease
Head or neck surgery in the past year
Severe head or neck injuries (e.g., whiplash from a car accident) in the past year
Diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy with symptoms in the form of numbness or tingling, or fail relative clinical tests (spurling's/ cervical distraction/ cervical rotation test/ upper limb tension test-1/ Hoffman sign)
Trial population
Community and regional clinics in Taipei or New Taipei
Trial design
Design model
Other
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Treatments tested in this trial
Not listed
Trial groups
No trial groups listed
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Maximal tongue pressure
Tongue pressure is used to measure the function or strength of the tongue. The higher the value, the greater the tongue strength. The measurement unit is kPa, with 0 being the minimum value. It tends to decrease with age, typically with 60 years old as the cutoff. For those under 60, the value is around 40 kPa, and for those over 60kPa, it decreases to around 33 kPa. Additionally, when accompanied by other conditions, such as dysphagia or sarcopenia, the decline is more pronounced.
Time frame
Because it is a cross sectional study with one-time measurement, it usually take five minutes to collect the data.Secondary outcomes
1
Mandarin version of Eating Assessment Tool-10
The Eating Assessment Tool is a commonly used self-administered questionnaire for screening potential swallowing difficulties. In this study, the Mandarin version of the EAT-10 is utilized. The questionnaire consists of 10 items, where participants rate the severity of their swallowing-related symptoms based on their subjective perception. Each item is scored from 0 (no problem) to 4 (severe problem), with a total possible score of 40. Higher scores indicate greater severity of perceived swallowing difficulties.
Time frame
It usually take 5-10 minutes to finish the questionnaire2
Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test
Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test is a simple and relatively safe test used to screen for potential functional swallowing difficulties. During the test, the participant first moistens their mouth with water. The examiner places their index finger under the participant's tongue and their middle finger on the participant's laryngeal prominence. The test instruction is, 'Please swallow saliva as much as possible until I say stop.' The examiner palpates the participant's laryngeal prominence to feel the movements during swallowing and counts the number of swallows. The test duration is 30 seconds. If the participant swallows less than three times within 30 seconds, it is used as the screening criterion for potential functional swallowing difficulty.
Time frame
It usually take 30 seconds to collect the data.3
Temporomandibular joint kinematics
Temporomandibular joint kinematics is used to measure the kinematics of the temporomandibular joint. The parameters include maximal mouth opening, left/right mandibular deviation, protrusion, left/right total condylar length path, and left/right total condylar translation, with measurements in millimeters (mm). Left/right total condylar rotation is measured in degrees. A larger value for the above parameters indicates greater temporomandibular joint mobility.
Time frame
Because it is a cross sectional study with one-time measurement, it usually take twenty minutes to collect the data.4
Craniovertebral angle
The craniovertebral angle is defined as the acute angle formed by the intersection between two lines: one is the horizontal line passing through the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra, and the other is the line connecting the seventh cervical vertebra and the tragus of the ear. If this angle is less than 50 degrees, it is defined as exhibiting a forward head posture. The smaller the angle, the more severe the forward head posture.
Time frame
Because it is a cross sectional study with one-time measurement, it usually take five minutes to collect the data.Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov