Actively Recruiting
Combining Brain Stimulation and Physiotherapy for the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain
Led by Laval University · Updated on 2026-01-20
96
Participants Needed
2
Research Sites
102 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
L
Laval University
Lead Sponsor
C
Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major health challenge in Canada, leading to substantial disability and socioeconomic burden, particularly among Veterans. In military Veterans, LBP is the most common chronic pain condition. Conventional interventions have limited effectiveness. The refractoriness to interventions suggests that specific CLBP mechanisms may be missed by current treatments, prompting a shift towards psychologically informed approaches which aim to address emotional and cognitive factors alongside biomedical aspects. The integration of these concepts into physiotherapy is called psychologically informed physiotherapy (PiP). Despite promising results of PiP from randomized controlled trials, residual pain and disability often persist in Veterans. Non-invasive brain stimulation, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), may enhance the effectiveness of PiP by modulating cognition, emotion, and pain. This proposal seeks to determine whether non-invasive brain stimulation can enhance the effects of PiP.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Combining Brain Stimulation and Physiotherapy for the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Adults between 18 and 65 years old
- Military Veterans with non-specific chronic low back pain lasting more than 3 months and occurring more than 50% of the days in the last 6 months
- High psychosocial risk factors related to back pain, scoring 4 or higher on the Start Back Screening Tool
- Functional limitations with a score of 15% or greater on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
You will not qualify if you...
- Low back pain caused by non-musculoskeletal conditions such as tumors or fractures
- Diagnosis of drug or alcohol abuse
- Change in medication dosage for pain or mental health within the last month
- Any conditions preventing safe use of rTMS, including history of seizures or convulsions, cochlear implants, or pregnancy
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 2 locations
1
Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS)
Québec, Quebec, Canada, G1M 2S8
Actively Recruiting
2
Cirris (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale)
Québec, Quebec, Canada, G1M 2S8
Not Yet Recruiting
Research Team
H
Hugo Massé-Alarie, PhD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
DOUBLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
3
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