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Brain zaps and ancient exercise join forces to fight knee pain

NCT ID NCT05839535

Symptom relief Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 17, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026

Summary

This study investigates whether combining a gentle mind-body exercise called Baduanjin with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique (tDCS) can help relieve pain and improve brain function in people with knee osteoarthritis. Researchers will use brain scans to see how these treatments change brain activity. The trial involves 140 adults aged 45 to 75 with knee osteoarthritis and compares the combination to exercise alone or sham stimulation.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
a mind-body exercise called Baduanjin combined with a brain stimulation method called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a new, drug-free way to manage knee osteoarthritis pain by combining gentle exercise with brain stimulation.
What could go wrong
This is a mid-stage trial with 140 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The brain stimulation is non-invasive but may cause mild discomfort or tingling, and the exercise may not help all types of knee pain.

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.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

About 140 people

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

Started

Mar 2024

Expected to finish

Aug 2028

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.

Ages

45 to 75 years

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: * Volunteers 45-75 years of age * Meet the Classification Criteria of the American College of Rheumatology for osteoarthritis of the right and/or left knee for at least the past 3 months; * Physically able to participate in the BDJ and stretching control education programs * Willing to complete the 12-week study * Can participate in MRI scan * Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the patient feels he or she can understand all the questions used in the assessment measures Exclusion Criteria: * Has performed BDJ, Tai Chi, Yoga, other mind-body intervention, physical therapy, or routine exercise (running, cycling, etc.) regularly in the past year * Serious medical conditions limiting ability of patient to participate in the study, such as symptomatic cardiovascular disease, symptomatic pulmonary disease requiring supplemental oxygen, uncontrolled metabolic diseases, severe renal and liver disease * Has had intra-articular steroid injections or reconstructive surgery in the prior 3 months on the affected knee; any intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections in the previous 6 months * Patient Mini-Mental Status Examination score below 24 \[293\] * Unable to walk without a cane or other assistive device * The intent to undergo surgery during the time of involvement in the study * Plan to permanently relocate from the region during the trial period

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

osteoarthritis, knee

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Knee osteoarthritis

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

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