Could shortwaves soothe diabetic nerve pain?
NCT ID NCT07625007
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether shortwave therapy can relieve symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a common complication causing pain and numbness. About 202 adults with diabetes will receive either real shortwave treatment or a sham device for 20 minutes daily over five days. Researchers will check if nerve symptoms improve one month later.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Shortwave diathermy device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to relieve nerve pain and numbness in people with diabetes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with a short treatment period. The benefit may be modest or no better than placebo, and long-term effects are unknown.
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 202 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 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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18 to 85 years
- 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\. Aged 18-85 years, regardless of gender, with the ability to act independently; * 2\. Appearance of neuropathic symptoms or signs at the time of or after the diagnosis of diabetes, meeting the following criteria: presence of DPN symptoms (numbness, tingling, burning, cold, pain), with or without signs (abnormalities in any of ankle reflex, vibration sense, pinprick sensation, temperature sensation, or pressure sensation); * 3\. Able to complete the TCSS assessment; * 4\. Understands the entire trial process, voluntarily participates in the study, and signs the informed consent form. * 5\. Patients who did not respond to adequate treatment with mecobalamin and other medications. Exclusion Criteria: * 1\. Peripheral neuropathy caused by other reasons (such as lumbar spine lesions, vitamin B12 deficiency, uncontrolled hypothyroidism, alcohol intoxication, drug neurotoxicity, Guillain-Barré syndrome, etc.); * 2\. Hemorrhagic diseases, malignant tumors; * 3\. History of below-knee amputation; * 4\. Skin damage, infection at the treatment site, or presence of metal implants, pacemaker; * 5\. Combined severe heart, liver, or kidney dysfunction (e.g., eGFR \< 15 ml/min/1.73m²), or cognitive impairment preventing cooperation; * 6\. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy; * 7\. Participation in other interventional clinical trials within the past 3 months; * 8\. Combined severe psychiatric disorders; * 9\. Other conditions assessed by the investigator that prevent completion of the trial; * 10\. Poor compliance.
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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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The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
RECRUITINGChongqing, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Magnetic pulses to the sole: a new way to restore feeling in diabetic feet?
- Can targeted exercise help older diabetics stay steady on their feet?
- A new pill takes aim at diabetic nerve pain — will it work?
- A ZAP BEHIND THE KNEE MAY QUIET DIABETIC NERVE PAIN
- Could a sleep hormone ease diabetic nerve damage?