Electrical Stimulus Therapy for Chronic Phantom Limb Pain

December 8, 2023 updated by: University of Colorado, Denver

Exploratory Study of Electrical Stimulus as a Treatment Option for Chronic Phantom Limb Pain

The goal of this pilot study is to assess the effectiveness of an electrical stimulation therapy option for the treatment of chronic phantom limb pain in upper or lower limb amputees. This therapy has been previously used for sports and joint injuries and is marketed for relaxation of muscle spasms, re-education of muscle action, prevention of disuse atrophy, increased local blood circulation, and maintaining or increasing range of motion. The investigators would like to explore the idea that physically exercising the muscles of the residual limb and increasing blood flow to the site of amputation through the promotion of motor contraction using electrical stimulation decreases chronic phantom limb pain.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

There are a large number of people living with an amputation due mainly to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and trauma; and of these there is evidence to show that up to 80% of amputees experience phantom limb pain (PLP). PLP is classified as cramping, burning, shooting, or stabbing pain in the missing limb following an amputation. Current treatments include pharmacological drugs, anesthesia, additional surgery, mirror therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and others. TENS, as usually implemented, has been used to effectively reduce pain in multiple spots of the body, but has shown little effect in reducing phantom limb pain especially long term even with varying the frequency and intensity of the electrical stimulation. These current treatments can be invasive, costly, and have shown only to offer immediate relief. Using an electrical stimulator at a higher intensity has proven to to reduce pain and increase healing in numerous sports and joint related injuries. Anecdotally, the investigators have learned that a similar treatment protocol when applied to persons with phantom limb pain can mitigate their pain. The goal of this pilot study is to assess the effectiveness of higher intensity electrical stimulation in the management of PLP and also to acquire data to inform the investigators to the most appropriate study design and power for a future more formal clinical trial. To accomplish this the investigators will utilize the ACP Omnistim FX2 Pro electrical stimulator, that has been provided to us by Accelerated Care Plus (ACP) Corporation, to physically exercise the muscles of the residual limb and hence increase the local blood flow and explore it's potential for treatment of PLP both short and long term. The self-identified subject will be hooked up to the ACP electrical stimulator using surface electrodes that will pass a current through the skin first at a low intensity for 5 minutes to allow the subject to adjust to the tingling sensation. The current will then be gradually increased to a level sufficient to elicit a non-painful motor contraction for 15 minutes. Using a numerical pain scale and short answer questions about the characteristics of the pain the investigators will track both short term and long term changes in pain.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
10

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
        • Children's Hospital Colorado Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Self-identified adult volunteers with a limb deficiency with a well-healed site of amputation
  • Subjects experiencing at least a 4 out of 10 of chronic phantom limb pain based on a numeric 10-point pain scale.
  • Any ethnicity and gender
  • Age (18-85 years)
  • Able to understand and follow directions in English, assessed by their ability to respond during the recruitment and consent processes.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects that are not able to understand the procedures and who are unable to come to the facility.
  • Any individual whose amputation site is not completely healed
  • Anyone with cardiac demand pacemakers and/or implanted defibrillator.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Device Feasibility
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental Electrical stimulation Regimen
Explore the efficacy of an electrical stimulus regimen on the treatment of chronic phantom limb pain using a standard-of-care electrical stimulation system
Device: Experimental Electrical Stimulation Regimen
The electrodes will pass an electrical current through the skin and into the muscle first at a low intensity for 5 minutes to allow the subject to adjust to the sensation. The current will then be gradually increased to a level sufficient to elicit a non-painful motor contraction. The subject will sit in a relaxed position as the electrical stimulator contracts the muscles for a duration of 15 minutes.
Other Names:
  • Device: Omnistim FX2 Pro

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Use of electrical stimulus medium frequency alternating current for short term decreased Phantom Limb Pan
Time Frame: After each 20 minute treatment session up to 5 weeks
Pain level data will be taken before and after each session to analyze any short term decreases in pain using a self-reported numeric 10-point pain scale. T- tests will be used for within subject testing looking at pre and post treatment measures to quantify a decrease in pain.
After each 20 minute treatment session up to 5 weeks
Assess the effectiveness of reducing chronic phantom limb pain long term.
Time Frame: Weekly for 5 weeks
An overall sustained decrease in phantom limb pain will be assessed weekly using a self-reported numeric 10-point pain scale. ANOVAs will be used to look at trends in post treatment measures over time.
Weekly for 5 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Colorado, Denver

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Hanger Clinic: Prosthetics & Orthotics

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Richard Weir, PhD, University of Colorado, Denver

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 27, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 28, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 13, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 19, 2017

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 24, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 11, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 8, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 16-1063

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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