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Laser vs. needle: which eases chronic back pain better?

NCT ID NCT07688915

Symptom relief Sponsor: Ankara City Hospital Bilkent 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study compares two treatments for chronic low back and leg pain caused by a herniated disc: high-intensity laser therapy and a steroid injection into the spine. About 24 adults aged 18 to 65 with pain lasting over three months will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Both groups will also do a home exercise program. Researchers will measure pain, disability, and quality of life over 12 weeks to see which approach works better.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
High-intensity laser therapy and transforaminal epidural steroid injection
What this could lead to
If this trial shows that laser therapy works as well as or better than steroid injections, it could offer a non-invasive, needle-free option for managing chronic back and leg pain.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 24 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Both treatments have risks, and the laser therapy might not provide lasting relief.

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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 24 people

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

Started

Aug 2025

Expected to finish

Oct 2026

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

18 to 65 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: * Age between 18 and 65 years * Diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation confirmed by clinical examination and lumbar magnetic resonance imaging * Chronic axial low back pain and radicular pain related to lumbar disc herniation * Low back and/or radicular pain lasting longer than 3 months * Resting low back and/or radicular pain intensity of ≥5 on a 0-10 visual analog scale * Willingness to participate in the study and provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy * Presence of a cardiac pacemaker * History of epilepsy * Active or previous malignancy * History of spinal surgery * Uncontrolled systemic or psychiatric disease * Cauda equina syndrome or progressive neurological deficit * Peripheral neuropathy, including diabetic or alcohol-related neuropathy * Neurodegenerative disease * Acute trauma * Active systemic infection * Local infection or skin disease at the injection site or treatment area * Body mass index greater than 40 kg/m² * Bleeding disorder that contraindicates treatment * Spinal stenosis, spondylolysis, or spondylolisthesis * Neurogenic bladder or bowel syndrome * Rheumatologic disease * Arterial vascular disease or vascular claudication * Receipt of other physical therapy modalities within the last 3 months * Receipt of spinal injection therapy within the last 3 months * History of allergy to injection agents

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Intervertebral Disc Displacement lumbar disk disease lumbar disk herniation, susceptibility to radiculopathy

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Chronic low back pain Lumbar disc herniation Lumbar radiculopathy Radicular pain

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

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)

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