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Could a daily ear zap ease your back pain?

NCT ID NCT05639270

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Hospital, Montpellier Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

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

Summary

This small pilot study tested whether using a special ear electrode for 30 minutes each day could help people with long-lasting low back pain. The device gently stimulates the vagus nerve, which is known to affect pain and mood. Thirty adults with chronic low back pain that hadn't improved with other treatments used the device and had their pain and disability measured after one month.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
auricular electrode (vagal nerve stimulation device)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple, non-drug daily treatment to reduce chronic low back pain and improve daily function.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study with only 30 people and no comparison group, so results may not be reliable or apply to everyone. The device may cause discomfort or not help pain at all.

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

30 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2023

Finished

Mar 2024

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 70 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: * Low back pain with a VAS greater than or equal to 40 that has been ongoing for more than 3 months * Failed or insufficiently relieved by private physiotherapy * Failed or insufficiently relieved or intolerant of level II analgesics * No change in therapy envisaged within one month. Exclusion Criteria: * Non-common low back pain will not be accepted (presence of red flags). * Auricular canal not adapted to the stimulation device. * Use of another type of electrical device (pacemaker or TENS). * History of vagotomy. * Heart rhythm disorder. * Presence of a cochlear implant on the stimulation side * Pregnancy in progress or planned during the study period * Adult protected by law or patient under guardianship or curator * Person unable to give consent. * Participation in other ongoing biomedical research * Absence of express informed consent after a reflection period * Not being affiliated to a French social security system or being a beneficiary of such a system

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Low Back Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Low back pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • CHU Montpellier

    Montpellier, France, 34295, France

  • CHU Nîmes - Le Grau du Roi

    Nîmes, 30240, France

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