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Can brain zaps and yoga quiet knee pain?

NCT ID NCT06228573

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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

Summary

This pilot trial tests whether combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with yoga can ease knee osteoarthritis pain better than yoga alone. Adults aged 45 and older with knee osteoarthritis will receive either real tDCS plus yoga or a sham (fake) tDCS plus yoga over several weeks. Researchers will measure pain levels, movement, and nervous system function to see if this combined approach offers meaningful relief.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with a yoga program
What this could lead to
If it works, this combination could offer a new, drug-free way to reduce chronic knee pain and improve movement for people with osteoarthritis.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study, so results may not apply broadly. The treatment may not reduce pain more than a placebo, and tDCS can cause mild side effects like skin tingling or headache.

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 68 people

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

Started

Oct 2024

Expected to finish

Nov 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

45 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * community dwelling adults from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Hamilton and London, Ontario fulfilling the NICE criteria for KOA * ≥45 years of age * Diagnosis of Knee osteoarthritis OR * Having movement-related joint pain with either no morning knee stiffness or stiffness of 30 minutes or less AND * Experiencing an average pain intensity of ≥3 /10 in the past month Exclusion Criteria: * Systemic inflammatory arthritis. * Any knee injection in the past 3 months. * Inability to independently get up and down from the floor. * Lower limb trauma or surgery within the last 6 months. * Current participation in another OA clinical trial. * Use of mobility aids. * Currently receiving care for KOA pain (e.g., physiotherapy). * Planned absences exceeding 1 week. * Contraindications to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) such as neurological or neuropsychiatric conditions. * History of brain surgery or tumor. * Metallic implants. * Epilepsy or history of substance abuse or dependence. * Cochlear or ocular implant. * Presence of a pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator. * Eczema on the scalp.

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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

    3 sites. 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

  • McMaster University

    RECRUITING

    Hamilton, Ontario, L8S1C7, Canada

  • University of Western Ontario

    RECRUITING

    London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada

  • Université de Sherbrooke

    RECRUITING

    Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 2R1, Canada

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