TECAR Therapy in Chronic Back Pain

September 9, 2026 updated by: Richard Liebano, University of Hartford

An Investigation Into the Short-term Effects of Capacitive and Resistive Electrical Transfer Therapy Alone Versus Combined With Electrical Stimulation in Chronic Low Back Pain.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether adding high-intensity electromyostimulation (Hi-EMS) to capacitive and resistive electric transfer (TECAR) therapy improves pain and functional performance in adults with chronic nonspecific low back pain. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does adding Hi-EMS to TECAR therapy reduce low back pain at rest?
  • Does adding Hi-EMS reduce pain during the Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test?
  • Does adding Hi-EMS improve pressure pain threshold and performance on the - Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test?

Researchers will compare TECAR therapy delivered with Hi-EMS to TECAR therapy delivered without Hi-EMS.

Participants will:

  • Receive both treatment conditions in a randomized order
  • Wait one week between treatment sessions
  • Receive 10 minutes of capacitive electrical transfer followed by 10 minutes of resistive electrical transfer during each session
  • Receive Hi-EMS during the 10-minute resistive electrical transfer phase in one of the sessions
  • Complete pain, pressure pain threshold, and functional performance assessments immediately before and after each session

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Capacitive and resistive electric transfer (TECAR) therapy is a radiofrequency-based electrothermal modality designed to generate endogenous tissue heating. Preliminary evidence suggests that TECAR therapy may provide short-term improvements in pain and disability in individuals with low back pain. Some TECAR devices also incorporate a manufacturer-specific electrical stimulation function known as high-intensity electromyostimulation (Hi-EMS). However, the additional effects of combining Hi-EMS with TECAR therapy have not been established.

This randomized, assessor-blinded crossover trial will investigate whether adding Hi-EMS to TECAR therapy produces greater immediate improvements in pain and functional performance than TECAR therapy alone in individuals with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Each participant will receive both treatment conditions in a randomized order, allowing participants to serve as their own controls. The treatment sessions will be separated by a one-week washout period.

The study will evaluate immediate within-session responses and compare the magnitude of change between the two treatment conditions. The findings will help determine whether the concurrent use of Hi-EMS provides additional short-term benefits beyond those produced by TECAR therapy alone.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

37

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

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion criteria:

  • 21 to 60 years old
  • chronic nonspecific low back pain
  • minimum pain intensity of 3 on a 0-10 scale
  • be able to provide consent and comply with study procedures

Exclusion criteria:

  • spinal fracture
  • tumor
  • radiculopathy
  • neurological or vascular condition
  • pregnancy
  • cardiac pacemaker or other implanted device
  • skin disorder or allergy
  • altered sensation in the treatment area
  • active or recent hemorrhage
  • cognitive impairments
  • liniments or heat rubs immediately before a study session
  • treatment for low back within the previous 6 weeks
  • currently receiving disability benefits because of low back pain
  • current or pending litigation related to low back pain

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: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: TECAR Therapy Plus Hi-EMS
Participants will receive TECAR therapy with concurrent Hi-EMS. The intervention will consist of 10 minutes of capacitive electrical transfer followed by 10 minutes of resistive electrical transfer, with Hi-EMS delivered only during the 10-minute resistive electrical transfer phase.
Device: TECAR Therapy plus Hi-EMS
TECAR therapy will be delivered using the BACK4 system (Winback Europa SAS, Biarritz, France). The intervention will consist of 10 minutes of capacitive electrical transfer (CET) followed by 10 minutes of resistive electrical transfer (RET). A conductive cream will be applied to the treatment area, and a return plate will be positioned over the abdomen. The Hi-EMS Focal mode will be activated only during the 10-minute RET phase and adjusted to produce a strong but comfortable stimulation without pain or excessive discomfort.
Active Comparator: TECAR Therapy Alone
Participants will receive TECAR therapy without Hi-EMS. The intervention will consist of 10 minutes of capacitive electrical transfer followed by 10 minutes of resistive electrical transfer.
Device: Tecar therapy alone
TECAR therapy will be delivered using the BACK4 system (Winback Europa SAS, Biarritz, France). The intervention will consist of 10 minutes of capacitive electrical transfer (CET) followed by followed by 10 minutes of resistive electrical transfer (RET). A conductive cream will be applied to the treatment area, and a return plate will be positioned over the abdomen. Hi-EMS will not be activated during this condition.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain intensity at rest
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session
Low back pain intensity at rest will be assessed using an 11-point Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), ranging from 0 ("no pain") to 10 ("worst pain imaginable"). Participants will rate their current low back pain while at rest before performing the functional test. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session
Movement-Evoked Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session.
Movement-evoked low back pain intensity will be assessed immediately after the Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test using an 11-point Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), ranging from 0 ("no pain") to 10 ("worst pain imaginable"). Participants will rate the greatest low back pain experienced while performing the test. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pressure pain threshold
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session.
A computerized digital pressure algometer (AlgoMed, Medoc Ltd.) with a 1-cm² probe will assess lumbar pressure pain threshold (PPT). Pressure will be applied at 40 kPa/s, and participants will press a response button when the sensation first becomes painful. PPT will be measured three times bilaterally at sites 5 cm lateral to the L3 and L5 spinous processes, with 30-second intervals. The measurements will be averaged to obtain a single lumbar PPT value at each assessment.
Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session.
Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session.
Functional performance will be assessed using the Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test. Participants will be instructed to complete five consecutive sit-to-stand repetitions as quickly and safely as possible. The time required to complete five repetitions will be measured using a stopwatch. The test will be performed twice, and the mean completion time of the two trials will be used for analysis.
Immediately before and immediately after each treatment session.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Hartford

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 (Estimated)

October 19, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 9, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 9, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 9, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Tecar and Back Pain

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

IPD sharing is not currently planned because a data-sharing process and repository have not been established for this study.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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