Brain's pain 'Off Switch' may predict who gets relief from back injections
NCT ID NCT05961800
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study looks at how the brain naturally reduces pain signals and whether that ability affects how well a lumbar medial branch block (a common injection for back pain) works. Researchers will test 40 adults with chronic low back pain using heat, pressure, and other sensations before and after the injection. The goal is to understand why some people get more relief than others.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors predict which patients will benefit most from nerve block injections for back pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early observational study with only 40 participants. It does not test a new treatment, so results may not change practice directly.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
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 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: * Scheduled for lumbar MBB in UPMC Pain Management clinics * Age \> 18 years old * Predominantly axial chronic low back pain at least 3 months on a daily basis * Must meet the minimum criteria for cognitive function using the PROMIS 2-item cognitive screener (\>3) * Low back pain intensity of \> 3/10 * Willing and able to receive study-related phone calls Exclusion Criteria: * History of spine surgery at the level of the lumbar MBB * Active worker's compensation or litigation claims * New pain and/or psychiatric treatments within 2 weeks of enrollment * Not fluent in English and/or not able to complete the questionnaires * Any clinically unstable systemic illness that is judged to interfere with the study
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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
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
Locations
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UPMC St. Margaret
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15215, United States
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