ArticleTrials2025
Melatonin for chronic back pain (the MOCHA trial): study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06476392 (Melatonin fOr CHronic bAck Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Melatonin fOr CHronic bAck Pain (The MOCHA Trial): A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-controlled Trial
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Depressive symptoms score and risk of incident spinal pain in middle-aged and elderly populations: a prospective cohort study based on china health and retirement longitudinal study data.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChronic back pain remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, with high societal and healthcare costs and limited effective treatment options. More than 50% of people with chronic back pain also report insomnia symptoms. Melatonin, primarily known for its use in treating insomnia and jetlag, has shown promising effects as a pain medication in chronic non-musculoskeletal pain conditions. We aim to determine the efficacy of 6 weeks of melatonin compared with placebo in reducing average pain intensity in patients with chronic disabling back pain.
methodThe Melatonin for Chronic Back Pain (MOCHA) trial is a 1:1 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, superiority trial including 220 patients with chronic disabling back pain randomized to either 10 mg (given as two 5 mg tablets) melatonin daily for 6 weeks or an identically looking placebo tablet. The primary outcome is the between-group difference in change in average pain intensity during the last 7 days from baseline to 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes include insomnia severity, back pain-related disability, global perceived effect, physical and mental health, and pain sensitivity. Exploratory outcomes are physiological sleep metrics assessed with ear electroencephalography (EEG). DISCUSSION: This trial evaluates the efficacy of melatonin, an inexpensive and widely available intervention that could potentially reduce pain and sleep problems in a population with few effective treatment options available. Trial registration CTIS EU-CT 2023-503530-41-00. Registered on March 4th, 2024. CLINICALTRIALS: gov NCT06476392. Registered on June 20th, 2024.
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