Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

University of Minnesota

Code:

NCT06619418

Conditions

Chronic Lower Back Pain

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

TENS device

Integrative health modalities

Study Details

Brief summary:

Pain symptoms can have a variety of ways to be treated, from medications to physical therapy, with several options being available to patients. However, no one treatment may work for all people who experience pain, especially cLBP. The purpose of this study is to measure the compliance, usability, and satisfaction of an at-home, multi-modal stimulation device in a diverse population of people with chronic lower back pain (cLBP). The multi-modal device will include a combination of electrical stimulation, auditory stimulation, and integrative-health techniques, including mindfulness breathing, health coaching, and reflective journaling. The multi-modal device creation is based on prior knowledge in lower back pain treatment, which includes electrical stimulation of the back (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator or TENS) and integrative health modalities. In isolation, these treatments are only somewhat effective in reducing symptoms.

This pilot study will involve participants who experience cLBP as we investigate a novel at-home, multi-modal device design. The main objective of the pilot usability study is to examine compliance to the intended use of the multi-modal device and approach, as well as protocol feasibility, and satisfaction with the settings and design.

Conditions

Chronic Lower Back Pain

Study ID

NCT06619418

Start date

Nov 18, 2024

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Aug 11, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug 11, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Must be 18 years of age or older
  • Must be within commuting distance to the University of Minnesota
  • Able to provide consent and follow study instructions
  • Must be able to understand English
  • Must have chronic LBP, which is defined as lower back pain for more than 3 months
  • A score of 4 or higher on the PEG
  • Must be willing to commit to full duration of the study
  • Not currently taking any benzodiazepines or sedative hypnotics

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Back Pain associated with:
  • Spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis
  • Sciatica or radiculopathy
  • Rhematologic or inflammatory disease
  • Trauma, fracture, dislocation, or previous back surgery
  • A score of 10 on the PEG
  • Pregnant
  • Have an electrically implanted device, such as a pacemaker.
  • Heart Disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Cancer
  • Psychiatric conditions including psychosis, suicidal ideation, or substance abuse disorder
  • A pure tone average of more than 40 dB HL at 500 dB, 1000 dB, or 2000 dB HL.
  • Individuals currently using other lower back pain treatments during the study in which they are unable to maintain a steady state while participating in our study for one month before beginning the multi-modal regimen.

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Device Feasibility

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: device group

active comparator: Integrative health modality group

Interventions

TENS device

will be using an FDA- cleared TENS device for electrical stimulation (TENS 7000, Compass Health Brands) in combination with commercially-available headphones for acoustic stimulation (AKG 845 BT).Will be shown how to use the device, trained on the multimodal stimulation procedure, and sent home with the device for 12 weeks.

Integrative health modalities

will be instructed on the integrative health modalities for this study. They will be given a tablet that includes the videos for the visually guided deep breathing. They will also receive the reflective journal and be set up for health coaching visits. At the end of the 12 weeks, this group of participants will return to the U of M campus and complete an interview about satisfaction and usability of the IH modalities.

Primary outcome measure

  • compliance rate [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Grace Conchas

buchh123@umn.edu

Locations

University of Minnesota

Recruiting

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55414

Contacts

Grace Conchas

bunchh123@umn.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Minnesota

Last update posted

Aug 20, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-05. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Minnesota on 2026-08-20.