Back & Nerve Pain
Long-lasting pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor, and one of the hardest to treat well. Researchers are testing medicines, devices and exercise programs to change that.
- Low back pain
- Sciatica
- Diabetic nerve pain
- Shingles pain
- Neck pain
What studies here look at
Pain studies often compare a new medicine with a placebo or with an existing one over a period of weeks, asking you to score your pain each day. Some test treatments that are not pills at all, such as a patch, an injection near the spine or a small device worn on the skin.
Nerve pain research focuses on the burning, tingling and numbness that can follow diabetes or shingles. Other studies look at how movement, sleep and mood affect pain, and test structured programs of exercise or talking therapy.
Who studies often look for
Adults with low back pain that has lasted more than a few months
People with pain that runs down one leg, often called sciatica
People with diabetes who have burning or tingling in their feet
Adults with pain that stayed after a case of shingles
Each study sets its own requirements. Read this as the people who tend to be asked, not as a checklist.
What taking part might involve
Four things studies in this area often ask of the people who take part.
A daily pain score
A number from zero to ten each evening, entered on a phone or a paper diary.
Movement checks
Simple tests of how far you can bend, walk or stand, timed by the team.
Changes to pain medicine
Some studies ask you to pause or adjust what you take, and say how beforehand.
Questionnaires
Questions about sleep, mood and daily tasks, because pain touches all of them.
Questions for the study team
Take these to your first call, and note the answers.
- Which of my current pain medicines can I keep taking?
- What can I use if my pain flares during the study?
- Will I need any injections or scans, and what are they like?
Hear about studies in this area
Sign up with Back & Nerve Pain as your area and your ZIP code, and we will text you when a study near you lines up.
Sign up for this areaSee what is recruiting today
ClinicalTrials.gov is the public U.S. list of studies. This search shows recruiting studies for low back pain.
Open the registry search