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Brain zaps + needles: new combo tackles back pain

NCT ID NCT03716830

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 whether combining acupuncture with a gentle brain-stimulation technique (tDCS) can improve chronic low back pain more than either treatment alone. 116 adults with long-term back pain were split into four groups receiving different combinations of real or fake acupuncture and real or fake tDCS. Researchers used brain scans and pain ratings to see how the treatments affected brain connections and pain levels.

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

116 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2020

Finished

Mar 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 to 60 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: * volunteers 18-60 years of age * meet the classification criteria of chronic low back pain (having low back pain for more than 6 months), as determined by the referring physician * at least 4/10 clinical pain on the 11-point Low Back Pain Numeric Rating Scale (LBP NRS) * at least a 10th grade English-reading level; English can be a second language provided that the patients understand all questions used in the assessment measures Exclusion Criteria: * history of epilepsy or loss consciousness (LOC) * specific causes of back pain (e.g. cancer, fractures, spinal stenosis, infections) * complicated back problems (e.g. prior back surgery, medicolegal issues) * the intent to undergo surgery during the time of involvement in the study * history of cardiac, respiratory, or nervous system disease that, in the investigator's judgment, precludes participation in the study because of a heightened potential for adverse outcomes. For example: asthma or claustrophobia * presence of any contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, claustrophobia, pregnancy, inability to remain still in MRI scanner * history of medical or psychiatric illness as determined by the investigator * history of substance abuse or dependence

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Chronic Pain chronic pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Chronic pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129-2020, United States

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