Evaluation of the Effect of Reiki on Pain After Lumbar Surgery (REDAL)

July 23, 2026 updated by: Clinique Bizet

Evaluation of the Effect of Reiki on Pain After Lumbar Surgery: A Comparative Randomized, Double-blind, Pilot Study

The goal of this clinical trial (prospective, comparative, and randomized double-blind study) is to learn if Reiki (a non-pharmacological intervention), when used alongside standard care, can treat and reduce postoperative pain in patients recovering from lumbar surgery (60 participants total, divided into two groups of 30).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does Reiki significantly reduce postoperative pain levels at day 15 (measured by a Visual Analog Scale) compared to a Sham (placebo) treatment? Does Reiki improve patient quality of life, enhance scar healing, lower daily analgesic consumption, and increase overall patient satisfaction compared to the Sham treatment?

Researchers will compare Group A (30 patients receiving Reiki sessions alongside usual care) to Group B (30 patients receiving Sham/placebo sessions alongside usual care) to see if the Reiki group experiences lower pain levels, reduced need for painkillers, better healing, and higher overall satisfaction and quality of life.

Participants will:

  • Receive standard postoperative care following their lumbar surgery.
  • Be randomly assigned to receive either two sessions of actual Reiki therapy or two sessions of a Sham (placebo) treatment.
  • Evaluate their daily pain levels using a Visual Analog Scale (EVA).
  • Complete follow-up assessments at specific intervals (Day 15, Day 21, and Day 30) to track pain levels, pain medication intake, scar healing (using a colorimetric scale), quality of life (via the SF-12 questionnaire), and overall satisfaction (via the Clinical Global Impression scale).

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The goal of this clinical trial (prospective, comparative, and randomized double-blind study) is to learn if Reiki (a non-pharmacological intervention), when used alongside standard care, can treat and reduce postoperative pain in patients recovering from lumbar surgery (60 participants total, divided into two groups of 30).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does Reiki significantly reduce postoperative pain levels at day 15 (measured by a Visual Analog Scale) compared to a Sham (placebo) treatment?
  • Does Reiki improve patient quality of life, enhance scar healing, lower daily analgesic consumption, and increase overall patient satisfaction compared to the Sham treatment?

Researchers will compare Group A (30 patients receiving two Reiki sessions alongside standard care) to Group B (30 patients receiving two Sham/placebo sessions alongside standard care) to see if the Reiki group experiences lower pain levels, reduced need for painkillers, better healing, and higher overall satisfaction and quality of life.

Participant Timeline and Interventions

Both groups will receive routine, standard postoperative care, which includes prescribed analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and standard physical rehabilitation/physiotherapy sessions.

Participants will follow a specific multi-step study process:

Visit 1 (Screening & Presentation):Meet with the principal investigator to check study eligibility. Patients complete initial SF-12 (quality of life) and VAS (pain) assessments, receive the study information letter/consent form, and are given a 7-day reflection period.

Inclusion & Randomization:After both the practitioner and patient sign the two copies of the consent form, the patient is randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either Group A (Reiki) or Group B (Sham).

Visit 2 (Pre-Intervention Treatment - 1 Week Before Surgery):Group A: Receives their first Reiki session administered by a certified practitioner with hands positioned above the body in a quiet room.

Group B:Receives their first Sham session administered by a member of the medical staff who simulates the identical hand gestures without delivering energy, maintaining the double-blind setup.

Visit 3 (Intervention):** The scheduled lumbar surgery takes place. Visit 4 (Discharge Visit):The research team provides a recommended postoperative physical rehabilitation program, distributes the daily VAS questionnaire, and evaluates initial analgesic consumption.

Visit 5 (Day 15 Post-Op): Both groups return to the Bizet Clinic for their second designated session (Reiki for Group A; Sham for Group B). Patients complete a scar assessment questionnaire, a VAS pain evaluation, and record their medication intake.

Visit 6 (Day 21 Post-Op):Participants receive a follow-up phone call to record their current VAS pain scores and track analgesic consumption.

Visit 7 (Week 4 Post-Op Follow-Up):Participants undergo a routine radiological exam and a practitioner-led consultation involving a final series of tests: a final VAS pain score, a professional scar assessment, a quality of life questionnaire (SF-12), an analgesic consumption audit, and a patient satisfaction survey using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale.

Note on Safety:Unscheduled visits can be conducted at any stage during the follow-up period if deemed clinically necessary by the surgeon, during which data will be collected directly from the patient's medical record.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

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 Contact

Study Locations

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subject aged 18 years or older.
  • Referred for a lumbar surgery.
  • Absence of participation in another clinical study.
  • Subject affiliated with a social security scheme or beneficiary of such a scheme.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Neuropathic patient
  • Presence of neuropathic pain
  • Diagnosis of fibromyalgia
  • Received therapeutic touch, polarity therapy, or professional massage therapy in the past four weeks
  • Unable to undergo medical follow-up for the study
  • Adult subject protected by law, under guardianship or trusteeship

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A treated with Reiki
Standard treatment (analgesic + kinesitherapy sessions) + Treatment session (Reiki).
Other: Reiki treatment and chirurgy
Patients will receive a Reiki session one week before the intervention. The scheduled intervention will take place.In addition to the study treatments, a recommended postoperative physical rehabilitation program will be suggested to the patients and then they will have their second Reiki session at the Bizet Clinic and complete the scar questionnaire, VAS, and analgesic consumption.
Sham Comparator: Groupe B control treated with Sham
standard treatment (analgesic + kinesitherapy sessions) + Treatment session (Sham)
Other: Sham treatment and chirurgy
Patients will receive a Sham session one week before the intervention. The scheduled intervention will take place.In addition to the study treatments, a recommended postoperative physical rehabilitation program will be suggested to the patients and then they will have their second Reiki session at the Bizet Clinic and complete the scar questionnaire, VAS, and analgesic consumption.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 30 days

Change in self-reported pain intensity measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The scale consists of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable), where higher scores indicate a worse outcome.

Unit of Measure: Scale range (0 to 10)
30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Score
Time Frame: 30 days

Evaluation of the patient's overall condition assessed by clinicians using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. The score ranges from 1 (normal, not at all ill) to 7 (among the most extremely ill patients), where higher scores indicate a worse outcome.

Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (0 to 7)
30 days
Daily Pain Score via Daily Diary
Time Frame: 30 days

Daily pain severity reported by the patient in a daily diary using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) from discharge to 30 days post-intervention. The score ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable), where higher scores indicate a worse outcome.

Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (0 to 10)
30 days
Wound Healing Phase Evaluation
Time Frame: 30 days

Assessment of wound healing progression using the International Visual Wound Color Scale. The scale categorizes the predominant tissue type into discrete stages: Necrosis, Infection, Fibrin, Granulation, and Epithelializing tissue, where progression toward Epithelializing tissue indicates a better outcome.

Unit of Measure: Categorical / Nominal stage
30 days
Quality of Life Assessed by SF-12 Questionnaire
Time Frame: 30 days

Impact of health on everyday life measured using the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Scores range from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate a better outcome (better health-related quality of life).

(Note: Standard SF-12 uses converted domain scores ranging from 0 to 100 ;but in this study sub-items containing score range from 0 to 5 is used instead). And overall results it score up to 100.
30 days
Daily Antalgic Medication Consumption
Time Frame: 30 days

Daily consumption of pain medication recorded by the patient in a daily diary from discharge to 30 days post-intervention.

Unit of Measure: Milligrams per day (mg/day) (or Pills per day, depending on how you record it)
30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Clinique Bizet

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

September 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 23, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024-A02685-42-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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