Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Shocking pain away: tDCS and exercise tested for fibromyalgia

NCT ID NCT03371225

Symptom relief Sponsor: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether combining a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS with aerobic exercise could improve the body's natural pain control system in people with fibromyalgia. 116 adults with fibromyalgia received either active or sham tDCS along with exercise or a control activity for 4 weeks. The goal was to see if the combination boosted pain inhibition more than either treatment alone.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-drug treatment option for fibromyalgia pain that combines brain stimulation with exercise.
What could go wrong
This is a completed early-stage mechanistic trial, not a large-scale effectiveness study. Results may not translate to lasting pain relief for all patients.

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

116 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2019

Finished

Oct 2025

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 to 65 years

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age range 18-65 years, 2. Diagnosis of FM pain according to the ACR 2010 criteria (existing pain for more than 6 months with an average of at least 4 on a 0-10 VAS scale) without other comorbid chronic pain diagnosis, 3. Pain resistant to common analgesics and medications for chronic pain such as Tylenol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Soma, Parafon Forte DCS, Zanaflex, and Codeine, 4. Must have the ability to feel sensation by Von-Frey fiber on the forearm, 5. Able to provide informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Clinically significant or unstable medical or psychiatric disorder, 2. history of substance abuse within the past 6 months as self-reported (if subject reports a history of substance abuse, we will confirm using DSM V criteria), 3. Previous significant neurological history (e.g., traumatic brain injury), resulting in neurological deficits, such as cognitive or motor deficits, as self-reported, 4. Previous neurosurgical procedure with craniotomy, 5. Severe depression (If a patient scores \>30 on the Beck Depression Inventory, one will obtain clearance. If one does not pass the medical clearance, one will not be included in the study) 6. Pregnancy (as the safety of tDCS in pregnant population (and children) has not been assessed (though risk is non-significant), the investigators will exclude pregnant women (and children). Women of child-bearing potential will be required to take a urine pregnancy test during the screening process and at every week of stimulation), 7. Current opiate use in large doses (more than 30mg of oxycodone/hydrocodone or 7.5mg of hydromorphone (Dilaudid) or equivalent), 8. Patients will be excluded when they have increased risk for exercise

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Fibromyalgia are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

fibromyalgia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Fibromyalgia

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for Continuing Care

    Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.