Could a mini massager replace opioids after wrist surgery?
NCT ID NCT05318729
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether using a small vibration tool after wrist fracture surgery can reduce pain and the need for opioid painkillers. One hundred adults who have had surgery for a broken wrist will be randomly assigned to use the vibration tool or not. Researchers will measure pain levels, arm function, and how many pain pills they take.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- vibration tool (mini massager)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to manage pain after wrist surgery and reduce reliance on opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with no blinding, so results may be influenced by placebo effects. The vibration tool may not provide meaningful pain relief for everyone.
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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2029
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: * Patients with a distal radius fracture who have undergone an open reduction and internal fixation using a volar FCR approach with a single volar plate * Patients who can read, write, and follow direction in English * Willing to undergo occupational therapy at Northwestern Medicine's Hand Surgery clinic Exclusion Criteria: * Patients undergoing oncologic surgery * Patients who undergo simultaneous surgery such as open carpal tunnel * Patients who only require closed reduction of distal radius fractures * Operative patients that require dorsal plate fixation or separate radial styloid plate fixation
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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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Northwestern Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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