Trial reportPain research & management2026
Neurofeedback for Management of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized Control Trial Using DOMS.
Trial report in Pain research & management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Neurofeedback for Management of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized Control Trial Using DOMS.Pain research & management · 2026Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionChronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is associated with maladaptive neuroplasticity, often reflected in altered alpha activity (8-13 Hz). Neurofeedback may offer a way to modulate this activity, yet most protocols target alpha activity during rest, despite movement being a common pain trigger. This study investigated whether neurofeedback during movement could modulate alpha activity and reduce pain in healthy individuals experiencing induced pain via delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
methodThis experiment was a randomized, two-armed, parallel-group trial. Twenty-nine participants were included (15 females, mean age = 28 years). Exclusions included neurological, psychiatric, MSK conditions. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (aiming to reduce alpha activity) or a control group (aiming to increase it). Alpha activity was assessed as the alpha power during rest and movement. DOMS was induced using eccentric exercise of muscle extensor carpi radialis in Session 1. Neurofeedback was administered in Session 2, where participants underwent three blocks of neurofeedback training, using individualized EEG-based visual feedback to modulate alpha activity. Session 3 assessed potential lasting neurofeedback effects. Pain was rated across the three sessions, which took place 24-48 h apart.
resultsDOMS induction was confirmed by increased pain (p < 0.001, r = 0.82) and reduced alpha activity during movement (p = 0.017, r = 0.49). Neurofeedback did not significantly alter alpha activity (p = 0.114, W = 0.05 for the control group, p = 0.338, W = 0.037 for the intervention group).
conclusionA single neurofeedback session was insufficient to modulate brain activity or pain perception. Methodological factors, including limited training duration and participants' strategies, may have contributed to the lack of an observable effect. SIGNIFICANCE: Although neurofeedback did not result in significant changes after one session, the observed alpha modulation following DOMS highlights the relevance of targeting neuroplasticity during MSK pain. Future studies should optimize training protocols and consider multisession designs to enhance clinical applicability.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.