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Mind over pain: study tests if expectations boost nerve block success

NCT ID NCT05733039

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looks at whether a person's expectations before a diagnostic nerve block influence how much pain relief they experience. Researchers will measure pain levels before and after the block and track changes over a week. The goal is to understand the role of expectations in pain treatment and identify which patients are most likely to benefit.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
lidocaine 2%
What this could lead to
If expectations strongly predict pain relief, doctors may better identify which patients benefit from nerve blocks and why.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It measures associations, not cause and effect, and results may not apply to all pain conditions.

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

115 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2021

Finished

Feb 2026

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

All referred pain patients (acute and chronic), scheduled for a first diagnostic nerve block.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

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: * referral to our pain clinic * interventions: Lumbar medial branch block or greater occipital nerve block, both with lidocaine 2% Exclusion Criteria: * Psychiatric co-morbidities other than depression * Inability to express pain scores on a numeric rating scale * Refusal of informed consent * Insufficient knowledge of German, French or English

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Expectations Pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Inselspital, Bern University Hospital

    Bern, Canton of Bern, 3010, Switzerland

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.