Deep heat or needles? new study seeks best quick fix for back pain
NCT ID NCT05422040
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two treatments for chronic low back pain: diathermy (a deep heating therapy) and dry needling (inserting thin needles into tight muscles). Sixty adults with pain lasting over 6 weeks will receive two sessions of one treatment. Researchers will check pain, disability, and fear of movement at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months to see which works better in the short term.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- diathermy (deep heat therapy) and dry needling (fine needles into muscle)
- What this could lead to
- If diathermy works better, it could offer a new, non-invasive option for quick pain relief in chronic low back pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 people and two treatment sessions, so results may not apply widely. Both treatments are generally safe but can cause temporary soreness.
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
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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
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * Age between 18 and 65 years. * Chronic non-specific low back pain. * Duration of pain of more than 6 weeks. Exclusion Criteria: * Neurological signs or symptoms. * Radicular pain. * Radiating pain below the knee. * Belonephobia. * Traumatic processes and/or surgeries in the lumbar region in the last year. * Having received physiotherapy treatment in the last 3 months. * Systemic diseases such as cancer, rheumatic diseases, neurological diseases.
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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.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Centro Investigación Fisioterapia y Dolor
RECRUITINGAlcalá de Henares, Madrid, 28805, Spain
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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- Can a second injection target the source of stubborn back pain?