New Nerve-Zapping device aims to cut opioid use after knee surgery
NCT ID NCT07191067
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a device called NOVABLOC that uses mild electrical pulses to block pain signals from nerves in the leg. The goal is to see if it reduces pain and the need for opioid painkillers after total knee replacement. About 120 adults with knee osteoarthritis will be randomly assigned to receive either the real treatment or a sham (fake) procedure. Researchers will measure pain levels and opioid use over the first 10 days after surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- NOVABLOC system (percutaneous radiofrequency electrical nerve stimulation device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a non-drug way to manage pain after knee replacement, reducing the need for opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage trial. The device may not work better than a sham procedure, and individual results may vary.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
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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21 years and older
- 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: 1. Male or non-pregnant females age ≥ 21 years of age; 2. Has an underlying diagnosis of osteoarthritis indicated for a primary unilateral TKA according to established treatment guidelines; 3. Able and willing to provide and document informed consent and Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information (PHI); 4. Able and willing to comply with all trial tests, procedures, assessments, and follow-up visits for up to 45 days. 5. Able to read and understand instructions and information presented in English. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Chronic opioid use (average ≥ 30 oral morphine equivalents / day) ≤ thirty (30) days of the TKA procedure; 2. Extended-release or long-acting opioid (e.g. buprenorphine, Morphine ER, etc.) use ≤ thirty (30) days of the TKA procedure; 3. History of substance abuse or misuse; 4. History of significant cardiac disease (e.g. ejection fraction ≤ 50%; coronary intervention ≤ six (6) months; significant valvular abnormalities); 5. Prior radiofrequency ablation or cryotherapy for pain on the operative knee; 6. Prior TKA on the operative knee; 7. BMI \> 40; 8. History of neurological, neuromuscular or neuropathic disease that would confound the study results, including chronic pain conditions; 9. Have an active implanted biomedical device (such as cardiac pacemaker, insulin pump, pain stimulator, implantable cardioverter defibrillator) or cochlear \[ear\] stimulator); 10. History of hip or knee dislocation or bone fractures on the operative leg; 11. Sepsis or systemic infectious illness; local infection of skin or subcutaneous tissues where procedural access is required including thigh, hip or groin; 12. Concomitant medical or psychiatric illness that could compromise evaluation or treatment, including anxiety (GAD-7 score \>10) or depression (PHQ-9 score \>15); 13. Pregnant, actively planning a pregnancy or breast-feeding a child; 14. Uncontrolled diabetes (A1C \> 7.5%); 15. History of bleeding disorder; 16. Participating in another clinical trial/investigation within 45 days prior to signing informed consent.
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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 places running it
5 sites. 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
Locations
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Alabama Orthopedic Sports Medicine & Baldwin County Surgery Center
RECRUITINGDaphne, Alabama, 36526, United States
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Southern Oregon Orthopedics
RECRUITINGMedford, Oregon, 97504, United States
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UBMD Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
RECRUITINGWilliamsville, New York, 14221, United States
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University of North Carolina
RECRUITINGChapel Hill, North Carolina, 27517, United States
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Virginia Mason Medical Center
RECRUITINGSeattle, Washington, 98101, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Could a Patient's playlist take the sting out of nerve testing?