Could a sugar shot cure your back pain? early trial hopes so.
NCT ID NCT07296653
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-phase trial tests whether injecting a sugar-water solution (dextrose) into acupuncture points on the back can reduce chronic low back pain better than a numbing injection alone. Sixty adults with long-term back pain will receive up to 15 injections over three sessions and be followed for 90 days. The goal is to see if this simple, low-cost approach provides lasting pain relief and helps people move better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dextrose 15% and lidocaine 1% injection
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost injection treatment for chronic low back pain that reduces pain and improves daily function.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small trial (60 people) testing a short-term effect. The benefit over lidocaine alone may be small or absent, and results may not apply to everyone with back 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
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- 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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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
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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35 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: * Body Mass Index (BMI) up to 45 kg/m2 * Diagnoses corresponding to \>1 of the following ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases): 1. M51.3 Degeneration of intervertebral discs 2. M54.5 Low back pain 3. M54.8 Other forms of back pain 4. M54.9 Various forms of back pain 5. S33.5 Sprain of the lumbar spine 6. S33.6 Sprain of sacroiliac joint 7. S33.7 Sprain of other and various parts of lumbar spine and pelvis * Diagnosis of chronic nonspecific low back pain: Chronic nonspecific low back pain refers to pain in the lower back with or without radiation to the lower extremities, lasting for more than 3 months and not attributable to a specific anatomical structure or pathology on imaging, for example generalized degenerative changes, but no pathological findings (such as spinal stenosis or disorders of the sagittal/coronal architecture or intervertebral foramen stenosis) with neurological deficits and no symptoms specific to the predominant pathology. * Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) \> 3/10 for at least 3 months prior to the study * Positive response to \>1 muscle strength assessment tests in chronic low back pain A. prone plank bridge test (PBT) B. side bridge test (SBT) C. supine bridge test (SUBT) D. Range of Motion (ROM) E. Back Performance Scale (BPS) F. Straight leg raise test (SLR) * Pain, inability to walk, and stiffness in the lumbar spine, persisting for at least three months prior to the study. * Radiological imaging tests such as MRI or CT and, in cases of clinical suspicion (where appropriate), X-rays with dynamic flexion/extension or whole spine X-rays. * Signing of written consent prior to the injection of pharmaceutical agents. Exclusion Criteria: * Any infection of the skin of the lumbar spine area, such as cellulitis, or periarticular or intra-articular infection or spondylodiscitis during the last 3 months * History of periarticular or intra-articular injection in the LMS with corticosteroids, local anesthetic, hyaluronic acid, radiofrequency application, electroacupuncture, or prolotherapy within the last three months. * Previous surgery (e.g., spinal fusion) in the LMS * Oral corticosteroids for low back pain or uncontrolled opioids * History of the following diseases: 1. connective tissue disease affecting the intervertebral spaces 2. insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus without adequate control 3. acute lumbosacral radiculopathy or peripheral neuropathy 4. neurological/psychiatric disease 5. history of malignancy in the area or any other active malignancy in the body 6. Bleeding disorder 7. Trauma during the previous three months without imaging investigation 8. Systemic diseases such as rheumatic diseases 9. Known abdominal aortic aneurysm * Pregnancy (based on history) * History of allergy to local anesthetics * Needle phobia * Inability to communicate adequately, severe hearing loss, language problems, dementia * Inability to guarantee transportation to the hospital for treatments/follow-up examinations
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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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University General Hospital of Athens "Attikon" - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School
RECRUITINGAthens, Attica, 12461, Greece
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