Trial reportSpinal cord2021
Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation followed by exercise on neuropathic pain in chronic spinal cord injury: a double-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial.
Trial report in Spinal cord, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative efficacy of common rehabilitation treatments for patients with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of neuromodulation and rehabilitation approaches on pain relief in patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Pooled it
- Behavioral/Physical and Stimulation Interventions for Chronic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review.Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Non-invasive Brain Stimulation for Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Mechanisms and Clinical Application Progress of Exercise in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Comparative Efficacy of Invasive and Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Techniques for Chronic Central and Peripheral Neuropathic Pain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Recent Trends in Physical Therapy Interventions and Neuromodulation Techniques to Improve Neurorehabilitation.CNS & neurological disorders drug targets · 2025Review
- Immediate effect of alone and combined virtual reality, gait-like muscle vibration and transcranial direct current stimulation on neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: a pilot study.Spinal cord series and cases · 2024Article
- The safety and feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with conservative treatment for patients with cervicogenic headaches: A double-blinded randomized control study protocol.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2024Article
- A Systematic Review of the Interventions for Management of Pain in Patients After Spinal Cord Injury.Cureus · 2023Review
- Narrative review of current neuromodulation modalities for spinal cord injury.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Time since onset might be of essence: A recommendation to assess the effects of combination of non-pharmacological neuromodulatory approaches at early stage since symptoms onset.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Brain stimulation: a therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurological disorders.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2022Review
- Non-invasive Brain Stimulation for Central Neuropathic Pain.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
STUDY
designDouble-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial.
objectivesThe present study aimed to investigate the effects of multiple sessions of tDCS followed by exercise on neuropathic pain and brain activity in individuals with chronic SCI.
settingRehabilitation center in Taipei, Taiwan.
methodsTwelve individuals with neuropathic pain after SCI were randomized into the experimental (real) or control (sham) tDCS group. All participants received 12 sessions of real or sham tDCS, and moderate upper body exercises over 4-6 weeks. Pain intensity, characters of pain, self-rating change of pain, brain activity, and quality of life were assessed at pre, posttest, and 4-week follow-up.
resultsThe between-group differences (95% CI) of pain intensity at posttest and at 4-week follow-up were -2.2/10 points (-3.0 to 1.0, p = 0.060) and -2.0/10 points (-5.0 to -0.4, p = 0.035), respectively. The between-group differences of paresthesia/dysesthesia pain character were -2.0/10 points (-3.2 to 1.0, p = 0.053) at posttest and -2.3/10 points (-5.0 to 2.5, p = 0.054) at follow-up. No significant changes in brain activity and quality of life were noted at post-intervention and follow-up in both groups.
conclusionsThe multiple sessions of anodal tDCS combined with moderate upper body exercise were feasible for individuals with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury. However, the analgesic effect was not superior to exercise alone after 12 sessions of intervention, and the beneficial effect was observed at 4-week follow-up.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.