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Can naming your feelings predict back pain relief?

NCT ID NCT07828132

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Marmara University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026

Summary

Researchers at Marmara University are studying why some people with chronic low back pain and nerve-related leg pain respond better than others to a standard steroid injection near the spine. The team follows 60 adults who are already scheduled for this routine procedure. Before the injection, participants answer questionnaires about pain, mood, quality of life, and alexithymia, which is difficulty identifying and describing emotions. Researchers then track pain and function at one week, one month, and three months to see whether emotional awareness at the start relates to how much relief people get.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
transforaminal epidural steroid injection, a standard steroid shot placed near the spinal nerves
What this could lead to
If emotional awareness turns out to shape who benefits, doctors could one day tailor pain treatment or add psychological support for people who struggle to name their feelings.
What could go wrong
This is a small observational study of 60 people at one hospital, so it can only show a link, not cause and effect. The findings may not apply to other clinics or to people with different back problems.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 60 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Oct 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Patients presenting to the Algology outpatient clinic at Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital with chronic low back pain who are clinically indicated and scheduled for Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adults aged 18 years or older. 2. Clinical diagnosis of chronic low back pain persisting for at least 3 months. 3. Clinical indication and scheduled for Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection (TFESI) due to failure of conservative management. 4. Literate and possessing sufficient cognitive capacity to understand and complete self-report instruments. 5. Voluntary written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Significant cognitive impairment or communication barriers impairing informed consent capacity or questionnaire completion. 2. Active psychotic disorder or current manic episode. 3. Suspected acute self-harm or suicidal risk identified during clinical examination. 4. Chronic back pain secondary to malignancy, acute fracture, or active local/systemic infection. 5. Severe active psychiatric illness currently undergoing medical treatment (e.g., severe mental illness, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder). (Note: Depressive symptoms alone are not an exclusion criterion; they are systematically quantified via HADS and controlled for as covariates).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Affective Symptoms alexithymia radiculopathy

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alexithymia Chronic low-back pain Radiculopathy

How to take part

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  1. The official record

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