Could a simple TENS device ease your back pain without pills?

NCT ID NCT07368920

Symptom relief Sponsor: Xijing Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study is testing whether a device called TENS, which sends mild electrical pulses through the skin, can safely reduce chronic low back pain. Forty adults with mild pain will use the device for 20-30 minutes, five times a week for four weeks. Researchers will track pain levels and daily function to see if it helps.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a drug-free option to reduce chronic low back pain and improve daily function.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage study with no control group, so results may not be conclusive. Pain relief may be modest or not last.

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

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2026

Expected to finish

Jan 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

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. Adults aged 18-65 years 2. Diagnosis consistent with myofascial low back pain (localized low back pain with a palpable taut band; referred pain and/or sensory changes near a specific trigger point; an identifiable tender spot within the taut band; mild muscle weakness and/or some limitation of joint range of motion) 3. Mild pain intensity at baseline (VAS \< 4 on a 0-10 scale) 4. Symptom duration \> 1 month 5. Able to understand the study procedures and demonstrate good compliance/cooperation 6. Written informed consent provided Exclusion Criteria: 1. Low back pain due to other causes, including but not limited to lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, ankylosing spondylitis, spinal tumor, spinal tuberculosis, or spinal infection 2. Received physical therapy, interventional procedures, or medication treatment within 4 weeks prior to enrollment that may affect pain or function assessment 3. Systemic disease or organ dysfunction 4. Skin/soft tissue breakdown or infection at/near the planned treatment area 5. Use of sedative medications or opioid analgesics within 6 months prior to enrollment, or currently receiving other treatments that may affect study outcomes 6. Severe psychiatric disorder or inability to cooperate with study procedures 7. Pregnant or breastfeeding women

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for CLBP - chronic low back pain are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Low Back Pain myofascial pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

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

CLBP - chronic low back pain Low back pain Paraspinal muscles

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

Open the record ↗
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.

Could a simple TENS device ease your back pain without pills?

What the study statuses mean