180 Participants Needed

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain

Recruiting at 2 trial locations
BW
Overseen ByBrian Wainger, MD PhD
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Trial Phase: Phase 2
Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)
Prior Safety DataThis treatment has passed at least one previous human trial
Approved in 1 JurisdictionThis treatment is already approved in other countries

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial requires that participants maintain a stable dose of opioids throughout the study. If you are taking benzodiazepines, you may need to stop, except for specific ones like alprazolam, clonazepam, and lorazepam, and you must have stopped at least five half-lives ago for certain imaging parts of the study.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Spinal Cord Stimulation for chronic pain?

Research shows that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can significantly reduce pain intensity and improve quality of life for people with chronic pain, such as those with failed back surgery syndrome and neuropathic pain. Studies have found that SCS provides better pain relief compared to conventional medical management and placebo treatments.12345

Is spinal cord stimulation generally safe for treating chronic pain?

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is generally considered safe for treating chronic pain, with a low rate of serious adverse events. In a global study, the most common serious issue was implant site infection, occurring in less than 1% of cases.34678

How does spinal cord stimulation differ from usual care for chronic pain?

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a unique treatment for chronic pain that involves implanting a device to send electrical impulses to the spinal cord, which can help reduce pain signals. Unlike usual care, which may include medications or physical therapy, SCS is an invasive procedure typically considered when other treatments have not been effective.89101112

What is the purpose of this trial?

This is a multicenter prospective study of patients who currently have stably implanted spinal cord simulators. Patients will be randomly assigned to turn on or off their spinal cord stimulators for two week intervals up to six weeks after enrollment, and on the final day of study participation, for one hour intervals, in a multi-crossover design. In a subset of patients we will also perform combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging at baseline, week 2 and week 4.

Research Team

BW

Brian Wainger, MD PhD

Principal Investigator

Massachusetts General Hospital

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adults aged 18-80 with chronic pain from failed back surgery, who have a spinal cord stimulator implanted. They must be able to give consent and report on their pain and function. People can't join if they have severe physical or mental health issues, are not on stable opioid doses, or can't distinguish their back surgery pain from other types.

Inclusion Criteria

The device has a setting that does not cause a tingling feeling.
I can give informed consent and follow the trial's procedures.
You have a spinal cord or dorsal root ganglion stimulator that has been implanted for a while.
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Exclusion Criteria

I am not using opioids, or if I am, my dose has been stable and under 100 morphine equivalents/day for the last two months.
My main pain is not from failed back surgery.
Systemic or psychiatric illness that in the opinion of the site investigator would interfere with the individual's ability to participate in the trial
See 1 more

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants will have their spinal cord stimulators turned on or off for two-week intervals, up to six weeks after enrollment, in a multi-crossover design

6 weeks
Visits at baseline, week 2, and week 4 for imaging

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Spinal Cord Stimulator Set to Minimal/No Stimulation Setting
  • Usual Care
Trial Overview The study tests the effects of turning spinal cord stimulators on or off in two-week intervals over six weeks. Participants will also switch between having it on and off every hour during the last day of the study to see how this affects their chronic pain.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Patients with Implanted Devices on Usual Stimulation SettingsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Patients in this arm will be randomized to turn on their spinal cord stimulator to their usual stimulation settings.
Group II: Patients with Implanted Devices on Minimal/No Stimulation SettingsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Patients in this arm will be randomized to turn off their spinal cord stimulator (or to minimal settings).

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Massachusetts General Hospital

Lead Sponsor

Trials
3,066
Recruited
13,430,000+

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Collaborator

Trials
1,403
Recruited
655,000+

Findings from Research

Patients receiving high-frequency (10 kHz) spinal cord stimulators (SCS) experienced a significant reduction in opioid use, with an average decrease of 26.2 mg morphine equivalents, representing a 28% reduction from baseline, and 71.4% of these patients reduced their opioid dosage after 12 months.
The SCS group also reported significant reductions in pain scores for low back and lower extremity pain, with decreases of 46.2% and 50.9% respectively, indicating the effectiveness of SCS in managing pain compared to conventional medical management.
10 kHz spinal cord stimulation: a retrospective analysis of real-world data from a community-based, interdisciplinary pain facility.DiBenedetto, DJ., Wawrzyniak, KM., Schatman, ME., et al.[2022]
A meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials found that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) significantly reduces pain intensity in patients with neuropathic pain compared to a placebo, with a mean difference of -1.15 on a 10-point scale.
The effectiveness of SCS appears to vary based on the type of control used in trials, with stronger effects observed in studies using a placebo control compared to those using a sham control, highlighting the importance of study design and patient blinding in evaluating treatment efficacy.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo/sham controlled randomised trials of spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic pain.Duarte, RV., Nevitt, S., McNicol, E., et al.[2021]
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a nonpharmacologic treatment for chronic pain, and the evaluation of its safety and efficacy has progressed to more rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) despite challenges like blinding and control group selection.
A consensus meeting among three professional societies led to recommendations for improving SCS trial designs, including the use of placebo controls, double-blinding, and comprehensive reporting of outcomes to enhance the validity and reliability of study results.
Research design considerations for randomized controlled trials of spinal cord stimulation for pain: Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials/Institute of Neuromodulation/International Neuromodulation Society recommendations.Katz, N., Dworkin, RH., North, R., et al.[2023]

References

10 kHz spinal cord stimulation: a retrospective analysis of real-world data from a community-based, interdisciplinary pain facility. [2022]
Systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo/sham controlled randomised trials of spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic pain. [2021]
Research design considerations for randomized controlled trials of spinal cord stimulation for pain: Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials/Institute of Neuromodulation/International Neuromodulation Society recommendations. [2023]
Spinal Cord Stimulation 50 Years Later: Clinical Outcomes of Spinal Cord Stimulation Based on Randomized Clinical Trials-A Systematic Review. [2019]
The effects of spinal cord stimulation in neuropathic pain are sustained: a 24-month follow-up of the prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial of the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation. [2022]
Spinal cord stimulation: a seven-year audit. [2005]
Long-term safety of spinal cord stimulation systems in a prospective, global registry of patients with chronic pain. [2023]
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Neuropathic Pain in England From 2010 to 2020: A Hospital Episode Statistics Analysis. [2023]
Physical functioning following spinal cord stimulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. [2023]
Spinal cord stimulation and the relief of chronic pain. [2019]
11.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
International neuromodulation society critical assessment: guideline review of implantable neurostimulation devices. [2022]
12.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Spinal cord stimulation for chronic intractable pain: nursing implications. [2019]
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