This pilot study consists in testing the efficacy of hypnosis as an adjuvant treatment for
patients suffering from chronic lumbar pain and for whom a facet block is indicated by a
doctor in the Centre d'antalgie of CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois), where
this study will take place. 5 to 8 patients will be included in this study. The goals of this
study are :
Assess the feasibility of such a protocol with more patients
Measure the number of patients necessary to obtain a significant result
Search for possible side effects of the combination of both treatments
Every patient in this pilot study will undergo 4 hypnosis sessions within 2 weeks before the
facet block. These sessions will be done with an hypnotherapist formed for this kind of
treatment.
Three times during this study, each patient will have a discussion with the co-investigator
:¨
1st discussion : just before the first hypnosis session
2nd discussion : after the 4 hypnosis sessions and just before the facet block,
approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the 1st discussion
3rd discussion : 2 to 4 weeks after the facet block
They will allow to obtain several data :
Pain assessment : intensity, localization, variability, characteristics, effects on
daily life activities
Anxiety and depression assessment
Expectations assessment : about both treatments and their combination
Efficacy assessment : about both treatments for the patient
Questions about the perceptions of the treatments (prejudice, ...) et possible side
effects.
These data will then be analysed (quantitative and qualitative analysis, depending on the
question type) to fulfill the objectives of the study.
will include 5 to 8 people suffering from chronic lumbar pain. The procedure consists in two
steps :
4 hypnosis sessions as an adjuvant treatment for number 2
a facet block, which is the standard procedure in the Centre d'antalgie in CHUV.
There will be no control group, so every patient will participate to the hypnosis sessions
and undergo the facet block. All the procedure of the facet block (including
contraindications and side effects) are not considered to be part of this study because all
patients in this study would have had a facet block if they would not participate in it.
The only data that will be collected are questionnaires about several items (pain, anxiety,
depression, ...). These questionnaires are filled with the patient at the beginning of the
study (day 0), before the facet block (between day 14 and day 21) and 2-4 weeks after it
(between day 28 and day 49). There are quantitative and qualitative questions.
