Noninvasive Neuromodulation in the Management of Post-COVID Musculoskeletal Pain

April 27, 2026 updated by: Prof. Dr. Daniel Pecos Martín, University of Alcala

Effectiveness of Noninvasive Neuromodulation in Post-COVID Musculoskeletal Pain in the Short Term: Randomized Clinical Trial

Brief Summary:

The post-Covid syndrome is a problem that affects a significant number of people in the world. Among the most common symptoms is pain, and although there is no specific data on neuropathic pain and Covid, due to under-diagnosis, they may be closely related.

Non-invasive neuromodulation acts on the Central Nervous System through the bioelectrical stimulation of nervous tissue and modulation of the system nervous, and can be useful in acute, chronic and musculosqueletal pain, and in symptoms such as stress, anxiety and sleep disturbances.

The objective of this clinical trial is to assess the efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation in the treatment of post-Covid musculoskeletal pain. Subjects will be randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group in which non-invasive neuromodulation will be applied and a sham group to which it will be applied off. The variables to be studied before, during and after treatment will be neuropathic pain with the DN4 questionnaire, pain intensity with the EVA scale, sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, level of stress and anxiety with the HADS questionnaire and quality of life with the SF12.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Phase

  • 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

  • Spain
    • Madrid
      • Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain, 28805
        • Centro Investigación Fisioterapia y Dolor

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Positive result in PCR or antigen test for detecting COVID-19 in the last 3 months.
  • Present musculoskeletal pain in the last 3 months.
  • Age between 18 to 65 years old.
  • Score equal or superior to 4 in DN4 scale.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Present musculoskeletal pain of traumatic origin or known cause
  • Present musculoskeletal pain with more than 3 months of evolution.
  • Pregnant women
  • Present of vascular alterations, malignancy, thrombophlebitis or fever.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Neuromodulation experimental group

The total number of sessions to be carried out on each patient will be 12 sessions, spread over 4 weeks.

The frequency will be 3 times a week. Each session with NESA microcurrents will last 60 minutes.
Other: Neuromodulation group
During the 12 sessions of which the treatment consists in applying 60 minutes of microcurrent in low intensity.
Sham Comparator: Neuromodulation sham group

The total number of sessions to be carried out on each patient will be 12 sessions, spread over 4 weeks.

The frequency will be 3 times a week. Each session with NESA microcurrents will last 60 minutes.The treatment will be applied with a placebo device that does not emit microcurrent but that has the same function
Other: Neuromodulation sham group
During the 12 sessions of which the treatment consists in applying 60 minutes of sham microcurrent in low intensity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at one month.
VAS is a straight horizontal line of fixed length, usually 100 mm. The ends are defined as the extreme limits of the parameter to be measured (symptom, pain, health), orientated from the left (worst) to the right (best)
Change from Baseline at one month.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
DN4 scale
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at one month.
It is a clinician-administered questionnaire consisting of 10 items.Seven items related to pain quality (i.e. sensory and pain descriptors) are based on an interview with the patient. These components refer to how the pain feels to the patient Three items are based on the clinical examination. The clinician assesses whether there is reduced sensation (hyposthesia) to touch or pinprick and whether light brushing increases or causes pain (allodynia).The 7 symptoms items are scored by interviewing the patient, and the 3 remaining items are scored by means of clinical examination. The scores are added and a score of 4 or more out of 10 is suggestive of neuropathic pain.
Change from Baseline at one month.
Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index score
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at one month.
IThe Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-report questionnaire that assesses sleep quality.The scores range from 0 to 21 and the authors suggest that a score >5 be considered as a significant sleep disturbance.
Change from Baseline at one month.
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAND)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at one month
The HADS is a questionnaire widely used to evaluate anxiety and depression. A 14-item questionnaire to rate patient´s depression and anxiety. Each item has a 0-3 score indicating worse results with higher score
Change from Baseline at one month
Quality of life SF12
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at one month.
The SF-12 is a self-reported outcome measure assessing the impact of health on an individual's everyday life. It is often used as a quality of life measure. A higher score is better outcome.
Change from Baseline at one month.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Alcala

Investigators

  • Study Director: Daniel Pecos-Martin, PhD, Alcalá University

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)

December 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

April 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 4, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 6, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

December 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 27, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CEIM/2022/6/121

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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