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Electric zaps instead of opioids: new pain relief after surgery?

NCT ID NCT04713098

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of California, San Diego 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested a non-drug approach to control pain after shoulder, ankle, or bunion surgery. Instead of relying on opioids, doctors placed a tiny wire near a nerve using ultrasound and delivered a mild electric current. The goal was to see if this method could lower pain and reduce the need for opioid painkillers. 250 adults took part in this placebo-controlled trial.

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

250 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2021

Finished

Sep 2025

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: 1. 18 years of age or older. 2. Undergoing one of the following surgical procedures: rotator cuff repair, ankle arthrodesis or arthroplasty, hallux valgus correction. 3. With a planned single-injection peripheral nerve block for postoperative analgesia. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Chronic analgesic use including opioids (daily use within the 2 weeks prior to surgery and duration of use \> 4 weeks). 2. Neuro-muscular deficit of the target nerve(s). 3. Compromised immune system based on medical history (e.g., immunosuppressive therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation, sepsis, infection), or other conditions that places the subject at increased risk. 4. Implanted spinal cord stimulator, cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator, deep brain stimulator, or other implantable neurostimulator whose stimulus current pathway may overlap. 5. History of bleeding disorder. 6. Antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapies other than aspirin due to the risk of bleeding with a 20-gauge insertion needle. 7. Allergy to skin-contact materials (occlusive dressings, bandages, tape etc.) 8. Incarceration. 9. Pregnancy. 10. Chronic pain of greater than 3 months of any severity in an anatomic location other than the surgical extremity. 11. Anxiety disorder. 12. History of substance abuse. 13. Inability to contact the investigators during the treatment period, and vice versa (e.g., lack of telephone access).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

ankylosis Bunion Hallux Valgus rotator cuff syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Ankle arthroplasty or arthrodesis Hallux valgus (bunion) resection Rotator cuff repair

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cedars- Sinai Medical Center

    Los Angeles, California, 90048, United States

  • Cleveland Clinic

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States

  • Naval Medical Center San Diego

    San Diego, California, 92134, United States

  • University of California, San Diego

    San Diego, California, 92103, United States

  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20889, United States

  • Womack Army Medical Center

    Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 28310, United States

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