Could early use of a 'Smart' stimulator tame CRPS pain?
NCT ID NCT06421350
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether using a closed-loop spinal cord stimulator early in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) works better than waiting until the chronic phase. The device automatically adjusts its settings based on the body's signals. Researchers will enroll 32 adults with CRPS and track changes in pain severity, stimulation levels, and a blood marker of pain over 6 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Closed-loop spinal cord stimulation device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that treating CRPS early with a smart spinal cord stimulator provides better pain relief and may slow disease progression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage study with only 32 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The device requires surgery and carries risks like infection or lead movement.
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 32 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 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 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 Hide 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 or older * neuromodulation naive patients with unilateral CRPS type 1 or type 2 (defined by Budapest Criteria) * pre-procedure psychological clearance Exclusion Criteria: * younger than 18 years * prior neuromodulation including spinal cord stimulation * prior dorsal root ganglion stimulation * prior peripheral nervous system stimulation * anatomical obstacles to dorsal column lead placement
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines
RECRUITINGLa Jolla, California, 92037, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can mental imagery rewire the Brain's map of a painful limb?
- Can a skin injection of ketamine and lidocaine tame CRPS pain?
- Can a smart brain implant outsmart chronic pain?
- Magnetic pulses to the brain aim to quiet CRPS pain
- Pain drug lyrica put to the test for rare limb condition – but trial stalls
- Teens with chronic pain try dance as medicine