Enhancing Inhibition With tDCS in Low Back Pain

Aalborg University

Status

Completed

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Treatments

Device: High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT03864822

VN-20170034-v5

Details and patient eligibility

About

This cross-over study intends to use consecutive days of active versus sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance descending inhibition and look at resulting clinical effects in people with low back pain.

Enrollment

12 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 60 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Otherwise healthy men and women
Aged 18-60 years
Continuous pain (>3days pain/week) episode lasting at least 3 months, sufficient to limit daily activities
Pain in the region posteriorly between the inferior border of the 12th rib and the lower gluteal fold (low back pain) at the time of recruitment
Able to speak, read and understand English

Exclusion criteria

Pregnancy
Low back pain associated with menstruation
Currently seeking active treatment for low back pain
Red flags symptoms (i.e. fever, malaise, progressive neurologic deficit, significant trauma, prolonged corticosteroid use or osteoporosis, pain worst at night, urinary or faecal incontinence, or unintended weight loss)
Drug addiction defined as the use of cannabis, opioids or other drugs
Current or previous neurologic, musculoskeletal, mental, or other illnesses which may affect the trial
Current or previous chronic or recurrent pain condition other than low back pain
Current regular use of analgesic medication or other medication which may affect the trial
Lack of ability to cooperate