Aim: The study compared responders and nonresponders to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) regarding clinical pain outcomes in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
Patients and methods/materials: Sixty participants received home-based active tDCS, and clinical pain outcomes were compared between responders and nonresponders.
Results: Latent class growth analyses classified 41 participants as responders and 19 as nonresponders. Responders showed significantly greater decreases in pain intensity from baseline to post intervention than nonresponders (p < .001). Participants with higher BMI (p = .02) and weight (p = .005) were more likely to respond, while no significant sociodemographic differences were found.
Conclusions: Identifying characteristics of nonresponsive tDCS subgroups can tailor treatments for each group.
Clinical trial registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT04016272.
Keywords: BMI; Knee osteoarthritis; older adults; responders to tDCS; transcranial direct current stimulation.
There is growing interest in using brain stimulation to help manage chronic pain. One approach, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), involves applying a gentle electrical current to the brain to alter pain signals. Research shows that tDCS can help reduce pain and improve movement in people with knee osteoarthritis, a common joint condition causing pain and stiffness. However, not everyone experiences the same level of pain relief with this treatment. This study looked at whether certain patient characteristics, like body weight, might influence how well tDCS works. Results showed that tDCS was more effective for people with knee osteoarthritis who have a higher body weight or body mass index (BMI). These findings suggest that tailoring tDCS treatments based on individual characteristics could make pain relief more effective for each patient. By identifying which patients respond best to tDCS, doctors may be able to develop more personalized and effective pain management therapies in the future.