Evaluating low back pain through electrodermal activity: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionLow back pain (LBP) is a prevalent and multifaceted health condition affecting over 619 million people globally. Today, pain evaluation heavily relies on subjective measures, so more advanced diagnosis and treatment methods are required. Electrodermal activity (EDA) could represent a potential objective tool to assess LBP. Despite its promise, EDA has been less studied in this context, and the methodologies vary across studies. The systematic review described thus aims to determine the relationship between EDA and LBP as well as the potential utility of EDA as a tool for evaluating LBP. The various EDA measurement methodologies employed to detect LBP will also be analysed to ultimately identify the most reliable and effective approaches.Methods and analysisThe primary databases include PubMed, Web of Science (all databases) and Scopus. The search strategy will be tailored to identify articles written in English or Spanish without imposing any time restrictions. The snowballing technique will also be used to identify additional studies by reviewing the reference lists of relevant articles or citing articles.Eligible studies will encompass adults with both acute and chronic LBP. A diverse range of research designs will be considered, focusing on the relationship between EDA and LBP. PEDro scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2.0 (RoB2) will be used to assess the methodological quality and risk of bias in the studies, respectively. Data synthesis will be based on a structured presentation of participant characteristics, methodological details and EDA-related variables.Ethics and disseminationThis protocol of systematic review, registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, adheres to the PRISMA checklist. The study findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals. The search process is forecast to end on 30 November 2024. Adhering to Spanish guidelines, ethical approval is deemed unnecessary for our secondary analyses, given the de-identification and anonymous analysis of all data.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42023464812.