RTMS and Steroid Joint Steroid Injection in Chronic Spinal Pain
RecruitingNot applicableNCT05840354
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Brief summary (from the registry)
Chronic spinal pain (CSP) is one of the most common chronic pain conditions globally. Steroid joint injections (SJI) are a routine treatment option for patients with CLBP that is recalcitrant to other treatments. However, SJI has been shown to have limited long-term efficacy with patients often requiring another injection within months to adequately control pain. One option to prolong the analgesic effects of SJI is to use a type of noninvasive brain stimulation called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Previous studies have shown rTMS may be capable of providing long-term pain relief in patients with chronic back pain. However, the literature on rTMS in patients with CSP is limited and no study has explored rTMS in patients receiving recurrent SJI for pain control. In this pilot randomized controlled trial study, we'll be investigating if combining rTMS with SJI in CSP individuals will enhance or prolong the analgesic effects of SJI alone. The investigators hypothesize that a combined rTMS and SJI intervention will be feasible, tolerable, and safe and will have larger and longer-lasting effects on CSP than a sham rTMS and SJI intervention.
Study details
- Official title
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Steroid Joint Injection for the Treatment of Chronic Spinal Pain: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
- Conditions
- Chronic Spinal Pain
- Interventions
- Device: Magstim Rapid2
- Device: Placebo D70mm Air Film Coil
- Sponsor
- London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
- Collaborators
- Western University, Canada; St. Joseph's Health Care London
- Start date
- 2023-06-20
- Primary completion
- 2025-07-31
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Canada
- Total sites listed
- 2
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * Currently receiving recurrent steroid joint injections for control of chronic spinal pain at the St. Joseph's Health Centre Pain Clinic in London, Ontario, Canada, * Have pain in the spinal region of an intensity ≥4 out of 10 in the week before your most recent steroid joint injection, * Have received at least 2 steroid joint injections within the last 12 months at regular intervals * Have had a consistent medication regimen for the past 3 months. Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to read, understand, and speak English and are not able to give consent * Known or suspected serious spinal pathology (tumour, fracture, dislocation, scoliosis) * Spinal surgery in the past 12 months * History of uncontrolled mental health condition(s) * Meet any specific rTMS-related exclusion criteria listed on the safety screening questionnaire (S1; Rossi et al., 2008).
Canadian sites (2)
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05840354