Could a zappy headband ease your Jumper's knee?
NCT ID NCT06729437
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS, applied before eccentric knee exercises, can improve pain and function more than exercise alone in people with patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee). Forty-two adults with chronic knee pain will be randomly assigned to receive either real or sham tDCS during 8 weeks of exercise. Researchers will track pain, knee function, muscle activity, and quality of life over 12 weeks.
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)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, non-invasive way to reduce pain and improve knee function for people with chronic patellar tendinopathy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 42 participants, so results may not apply widely. The effect of tDCS is often modest, and the sham group also gets exercise, which may already help.
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 42 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Age between 18 and 50 years. * Diagnosis of patellar tendinopathy (VISA-P score of 80 or lower). * Pain lasting more than 3 months. Exclusion Criteria: * Previous knee surgery. * Corticosteroid injection in the previous 6 weeks. * Systemic inflammatory, autoimmune, or rheumatic diseases. * Cognitive or behavioural issues that hinder comprehension and adherence to the intervention. * Any neurological disease. * Neoplastic disease. * Subjects presenting contraindications for tDCS (Thair et al., 2017), including: personal and family history of epilepsy, metallic implants in the head, implanted medication pump, pacemaker, recurrent headaches, skin conditions (psoriasis, eczema), or major head surgeries, pregnancy, heart diseases, and various medications (psychotropic or antihistamines). * Subjects must not have undergone pharmacological treatment or knee physical rehabilitation programs for a period of 1 year.
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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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Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia
RECRUITINGValencia, Valencia, 46022, Spain
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