tDCS Effects on Chronic Low Back Pain
CompletedPhase 2NCT01875029
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov Recruiting status changes often. Contact the study team listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, and talk to your doctor before joining a study.
This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
Back School (BS) is a behavioural intervention designed to treat and prevent chronic low back pain. Up to date clinical research studies have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is able to decrease the intensity and duration of pain modulating the activity of brain areas involved in the circuits that regulate pain and facilitating the mechanisms inhibitors descendants of pain control. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of combining tDCS with a behavioural intervention (i.e. BS) in subjects with chronic low back pain.
Study details
- Official title
- The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)Combined With Back School in Subjects With Chronic Low Back Pain. Randomised Control Trial Study.
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Device: sham-tDCS + back school
- Device: real-tDCS + back school
- Sponsor
- University Hospital of Ferrara
- Start date
- 2012-01
- Primary completion
- 2013-11
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 75 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Italy
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * males and females aged \> 18 years and \<75 years * presence of non-specific chronic low back pain diagnosed \> 2 years * presence of a chronic pain measurable with the VAS scale not less than 3 during a 2 weeks daily VAS monitoring * pain refractory to drugs (opioid analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs). It is considered a refractory pain if there is at least 6 months of treatment with at least 2/3 of the above drugs Exclusion Criteria: * spine surgery * cognitive impairment assessed with Mini Mental Status Examination \<24 * contraindications to tDCS: presence of a history of epilepsy, frequent headaches or neck pain, implantable devices (ventriculoperitoneal shunts, pacemakers, intrathecal pumps, intracranial metal implants) * Contraindications to tDCS: intracranial metal implants that can be stimulated, incorrectly positioned or over-heated by the electric current * Neurological or psychiatric pathology * severe cardio-pulmonary, renal, hepatic diseases * Pregnancy
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01875029