Chronic low back pain affects roughly one in five adults and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Most cases have no single identifiable cause — no disc herniation or fracture — which makes treatment challenging. Current options include physical therapy, medications like NSAIDs or duloxetine, steroid injections, and in some cases surgery.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing nerve ablation techniques, regenerative approaches like stem cells and platelet-rich plasma for disc repair, neuromodulation devices that interrupt pain signals, and new classes of pain medications including NGF inhibitors. Researchers are also studying the role of inflammation, central sensitization, and psychological factors in sustaining pain.
Regenerative therapies
Studies are testing stem cells and growth factors injected into damaged discs to promote healing. Early data suggest some people experience pain relief, but durability and patient selection remain open questions.
Nerve ablation
Radiofrequency and cooled radiofrequency ablation burn nerves transmitting pain from facet joints or the sacroiliac joint. Trials are refining which patients benefit most and how long relief lasts.
Neuromodulation
Spinal cord stimulators and dorsal root ganglion stimulators deliver electrical pulses to disrupt pain signals. Newer devices allow more targeted programming and are being tested in people who haven't had surgery.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on pain duration, prior treatments tried, imaging findings, and whether pain is primarily in the back or radiates into the legs.
What types of trials are currently open
- Regenerative trials — Testing stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, or growth factors injected into discs or joints to promote healing and reduce pain.
- Device trials — Studies of spinal cord stimulators, dorsal root ganglion stimulators, and other implanted or wearable devices that interrupt pain signals.
- Ablation trials — Testing radiofrequency or other techniques to disable nerves transmitting pain from facet joints or the sacroiliac joint.
- Medication trials — Testing new pain medications, including NGF inhibitors and drugs targeting inflammation or nerve pain pathways.
- Behavioral trials — Studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and other approaches to managing pain and improving function.
Recently added Chronic Low Back Pain trials
Share questionnaires about your back pain and nerve sensitivity
This observational study will examine whether signs of increased sensitivity in the nervous system at the beginning of the study are associated with short-term clinical outcomes in adults with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Approximately 180 participants will complete questionnaires about central sensitization, disability, pain, anxiety, and depression at the beginning of the study. After 6 weeks, disability, pain, and the participant's overall perception of change will be assessed again. The researchers will evaluate whether the initial level of central sensitization is associated with meaningful improvement in disability and perceived treatment benefit. Participants will not be assigned to a treatment as part of this study and will continue to receive routine clinical care.
Study of Correlation Between Serum BDNF Levels and Pfirmann Grading and IL- 1β
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein belonging to the neurotrophin family, known to be involved in neuronal survival, growth, and synaptic plasticity. Recent studies suggest that the role of BDNF may extend beyond the central nervous system to include inflammatory responses and degenerative changes in peripheral tissues. In particular, BDNF expression has been confirmed within intervertebral disc tissue, with degenerated discs showing increased BDNF expression compared to normal discs, and this expression has been reported to increase further with the severity of degeneration Intervertebral disc degeneration is closely associated with intradiscal nerve ingrowth (neoinnervation) and the resulting generation of pain, and BDNF has been reported as a factor mediating this nerve ingrowth and pain sensitization (central/peripheral sensitization) within the disc. Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), a representative inflammatory cytokine of disc degeneration, is known as a key mediator that promotes extracellular matrix degradation within disc tissue and induces neoinnervation and sensitization. Because BDNF secretion from neurons and immune cells has also been reported to increase in inflammatory environments, a potential interaction between IL-1β and BDNF has been proposed Accordingly, this study aims to measure serum BDNF concentrations in patients presenting with low back and leg pain due to disc degeneration or spinal stenosis, and to analyze whether these levels show a consistent correlation with Pfirrmann grading on MRI and serum IL-1β concentration.
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