Effect of Motor Imagery on Corticomotor Excitability and Pain Status in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been defined by the American College of Rheumatology in 1987 as a chronic inflammatory disease characterised joint swelling, tenderness, and destruction synovial joints leading to severe disability premature mortality. There is paucity literature assessing corticomotor excitability RA patients. This study aimed assess effect motor imagery on pain status The specific objectives were We also wanted compare between patients with healthy controls. correlation measures done. Methods: was designed pilot clinical trial case-control design. Forty participants recruited for study. Twenty from Department Physical Medicine Rehabilitation (PMR), AIIMS, New Delhi, 20 Testing performed at Pain Research & rTMS Lab, Physiology, Delhi. approved Institute Ethics Committee, AIIMS registered Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI). For subjective assessment pain, visual analogue scale (VAS), Short-Form McGill Questionnaire, WHO-Quality Life Brief questionnaire (WHO-QOL-BREF), Arthritis Scale used. objective hot cold thresholds assessed using thermo-tactile quantitative sensory testing (QST) method limits transcranial magnetic stimulation device. All asked perform tasks which consisted metronome-paced thumb opposition paradigm. Results: resting threshold (RMT) decreased significantly after when compared mental calculation group. amplitude evoked potential (MEP) QST parameter value comparable both groups before calculation. RMT found be higher whereas MEP values lower Conclusion: conclude that suffering have Motor effective improving these can used rehabilitation relieve their pain.