Zapping pain without needles: new device trial for nerve pain
NCT ID NCT06185816
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Stanford University is testing a non-invasive device that uses pulsed radiofrequency to treat chronic nerve pain after injury. The device sends magnetic pulses through the skin to target the affected nerve. This Phase 2/3 trial will enroll 95 adults to see if the treatment reduces pain better than a placebo.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- non-invasive pulsed radiofrequency device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-drug, non-surgical option to ease chronic nerve pain after injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-to-mid stage trial with only 95 participants. The placebo effect is possible, and results may not apply to all types of nerve pain.
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
-
Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
-
About 95 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Nov 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Jan 2029
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: * -Adults aged 18 or older with clinically diagnosed chronic neuropathic pain after peripheral injury defined as persistent or recurrent neuropathic pain caused by a peripheral nerve lesion, history of a plausible nerve trauma, pain onset in temporal relation to the trauma, and pain distribution within the innervation territory of a peripheral nerve (or nerves). Negative and positive sensory symptoms or signs must be compatible with the innervation territory of the affected nerve. Can be posttraumatic, post-surgical, nerve compression, nerve ischemia with or without loss of motor function * Positive response (at least 50% pain relief) to diagnostic nerve block at the suspected site of CNP-PI. * Continued pain despite conservative therapy for a minimum of 12 weeks * Stable dosage of analgesic medications for at least 30 days, and willingness to refrain from trialing new analgesic medications for three weeks after randomization * Worst pain intensity of ≥5/10 on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of Pain (0-10) at the CNP-PI site at enrollment * English-speaking * Ability and willingness to complete online and phone assessments Exclusion Criteria: * Conditions causing inability to complete assessments (education, cognitive ability, mental status, medical status) * Cancer diagnosis, active malignant neoplasm (metastatic or local) or evidence of paraneoplastic syndrome * Painful polyneuropathy (e.g., metabolic, autoimmune, familial, infectious disease, environmental toxins, treatment with neurotoxic drug) * Chronic central neuropathic pain (e.g., spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis) * Peripheral vascular disease * Diabetic neuropathy * Other active implantable devices (e.g., implantable cardioverter defibrillator, spinal cord stimulator, dorsal root ganglion stimulator, sacral nerve stimulator, deep brain stimulator, intrathecal pump) * Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or planning to conceive * Systemic infection or local infection at the anticipated NIPRF treatment sites * Interventional procedure and/or surgery to treat CNP-PI in the last 30 days (subjects should be enrolled 30 days after last procedure, for prior ablative treatment must be enrolled at least 3 months after last procedure) * Epilepsy * Metal implants within the target treatment area of the NIPRF.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Pain, nerve 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
-
Stanford Pain Management Center
RECRUITINGRedwood City, California, 94063, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.