Spinal implant could ease diabetic nerve pain
NCT ID NCT06287736
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a spinal cord stimulator can reduce pain and improve nerve function in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Sixty adults with pain that hasn't responded to standard treatments will be randomly assigned to receive the implant or standard care. Researchers will track pain levels, nerve health, and quality of life over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Spinal cord stimulator (device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to manage diabetic nerve pain and improve quality of life for people who haven't found relief from standard medications.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants. The device requires surgery, which carries risks like infection or lead migration. Results may not apply to everyone with diabetic neuropathy.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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: * Over 18 years old * Diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy refractory to treatment with gabapentin or pregabalin and at least 1 other class of analgesic * Diagnosis of medically refractory pain secondary to diabetic neuropathy * Presence of pain for 12 months * Lower limb pain intensity score ≥4 on a visual analog scale * DN4 ≥4 * Pass pre-operative neuropsychological assessment (surgical group only) * Capable of providing informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Severe medical comorbidities that, in the opinion of the surgeon, exclude the patient from surgical intervention * Spinal disease with severe spinal stenosis or spinal cord compression in the region of the proposed spinal cord stimulator lead placement * Coagulopathy that cannot be corrected * Unable to discontinue blood thinning medications * Hemoglobin A1c level greater than 10 * Presence of systemic infection * Pregnancy
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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 Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
RECRUITINGColumbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- 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?
- Could zapping nerves save limbs? new study tests electrical stimulation for diabetic neuropathy