Home-based tDCS and Somatosensory Training for Phantom Limb Pain
This study, called PLP-EVEREST, is testing a home-based treatment for phantom limb pain (PLP). It uses transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which applies low electrical currents to the brain, combined with somatosensory training (relaxation and mind-body exercises). The goal is to see if this combination can reduce PLP more effectively than usual care, which includes current medications and therapies. You might be able to join if you are over 18, have had a limb amputation, experience PLP at least once a week, and have an average pain level of 4 or higher. The study aims to enroll 290 participants and will measure success by how much your pain (using a Visual Analogue Scale) changes over 4 weeks.
- Study design
- This is a pragmatic, parallel randomized clinical trial with 290 participants. You would be randomly assigned to either receive the home-based tDCS and somatosensory training or continue with your usual care.
- What's involved
- You would participate in 20 sessions over 4 weeks, involving self-administration of tDCS and somatosensory training. Pain levels will be measured from the start of the study until 4 weeks later.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Your pain levels will be monitored from the beginning of the study until 4 weeks after starting treatment.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
Pragmatic Trial of Remote tDCS and Somatosensory Training for Phantom Limb Pain With Machine Learning to Predict Treatment Response
At a glance
Conditions
NCT05188183
Where you'd take part
This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.
Spaulding Hospital Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusettsstudy coordinator listed
Recruiting
Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.
Who to contact
Opens a ready-to-send draft in your own email app — review before sending.
What this trial measures
- Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for Phantom Limb PainFrom Baseline to Visit 22 (at 4 weeks)
The VAS is a common assessment that asks subjects to self-reportedly measure their pain on a visual scale (i.e., unbearable to none). Investigators will use the VAS to determine subjects' pain scores. Subjects will rate their pain from 0 - indicating no pain at all, to 10 - indicating the worst pain felt. This scale is also colored, from green (at 0) to red (at 10), as a visual indicator of pain. This assessment tool is frequently used in many research studies evaluating pain levels in phantom limb.