Low back pain affects most adults at some point, and for many it becomes chronic. Treatment ranges from physical therapy and medications to nerve blocks and surgery. Research is working to better match treatments to specific pain sources and to find options beyond opioids for people whose pain persists.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing nerve ablation techniques that may provide longer pain relief, biologics that target inflammation in discs, spinal cord stimulation devices, regenerative approaches using cells or growth factors, and non-opioid pain medications. Researchers are also studying ways to predict which patients will develop chronic pain and which treatments will work for them.
Disc regeneration
Several trials are injecting cells, growth factors, or synthetic materials into damaged discs to see if they can restore cushioning and reduce pain. Early studies suggest some people get meaningful relief.
Nerve ablation refinements
New radiofrequency and cooling techniques aim to disable pain nerves more completely and for longer periods. Some studies are testing whether genetic or imaging markers can identify who will respond best.
Non-opioid medications
Researchers are testing nerve-targeting drugs, anti-inflammatory biologics, and combinations of existing medications to manage chronic back pain without addiction risk. Some trials focus on preventing acute pain from becoming chronic.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on pain duration, whether imaging shows specific disc or nerve problems, prior treatments tried, and pain severity scores.
What types of trials are currently open
- Device trials — Testing spinal cord stimulators, nerve ablation devices, or injection systems to block or reduce pain signals from the back.
- Regenerative trials — Studies of stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, or synthetic materials injected into discs or joints to promote healing.
- Medication trials — Testing new pain medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, or muscle relaxants, often comparing them to existing treatments.
- Behavioral trials — Studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, or exercise programs to reduce pain and improve function.
- Observational studies — Following people with back pain over time to understand what predicts recovery, chronic pain, or response to specific treatments.
Recently added Low Back Pain trials
Analgesic Effect of Sacral Submultifidus Block as an Adjunct to Sacroiliac Joint Injection
The aim of this study is to assess whether the addition of sacral submultifidus block to standard image-guided SIJ injection provides superior analgesia and functional improvement compared with SIJ injection alone in patients with chronic SIJ-mediated pain.
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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