Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can a gentle electric pulse ease chronic nerve pain?

NCT ID NCT01117870

Symptom relief Sponsor: McMaster University 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether pulsed radiofrequency, a technique that applies short bursts of electrical energy to a nerve, can reduce chronic lumbar radicular pain, a type of back and leg pain. Adults with pain lasting at least 4 months and matching MRI or CT findings receive either the real treatment or a placebo needle. The study measures pain changes and whether a larger trial is feasible.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Pulsed radiofrequency applied to the dorsal root ganglion
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-damaging, needle-based option for people with chronic leg and back pain, and support a larger study.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early trial with only 31 participants, so results may not apply widely. The treatment may not outperform placebo, and there are standard risks like bleeding or infection.

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

31 people

The number who actually took part.

Start date

Jul 2010

Finished

Nov 2012

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 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: * \> 18 years of age * CLR for at least 4 months of more, with concordant findings on either MRI and CT scan * VAS score of at least 60/100 at presentation * informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * \< 18 years of age * patient refusal * any contraindication to neuraxial injection such as coagulation disturbance, anticoagulant therapy, bleeding disorder, or infection at site of injection * anatomical deformity or derangement, either congenital or surgical such as: extreme scoliosis, previous implant or instrumentation making it difficult to access the foramen as evidence by MRI, CT, or plain x-rays * uncontrolled diabetes or severe coronary vascular disease necessitating continuation of anticoagulation therapy * known history of psychiatric illness-such as depression or psychosis * presence of cancer accounting for present symptoms * patient's inability of communicate in English and inability to understand and fill out the required follow-up questionnaire and form * allergy to local anesthetics or steroid or contrast medium * any patient with a history of acute neurological weakness or neurodeficit in the affected limb in terms of measurable motor weakness or abnormal reflexes

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Back pain are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Back Pain Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome Chronic Pain chronic pain syndrome Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Back pain Chronic pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • East End Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

    Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 4A6, Canada

More trials for these conditions

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