Lumbar RadiculopathyNCT07841405
Effect of Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive on Chronic Discogenic Sciatica
A study testing Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy and conventional physical therapy program in people with Lumbar Radiculopathy, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Egypt.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) on pain, functional disability and electrophysiological parameters in adults with chronic discogenic sciatica . Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 35 to 50 years, men only
- Conditions the study is for
- Lumbar Radiculopathy
- What is being tested?
- Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy and conventional physical therapy program
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 34 participants
- Where
- 1 siteEgypt
- Study dates
- 21 Sep 2026to 21 Jan 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 35 to 50 years
- Men only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Age between 30-50 years
- Unilateral chronic discogenic sciatica at L5-S1, MRI confirmed
- Symptom duration more than 3 months
- Pain score ≥ 4 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
- Ability to participate in outpatient physiotherapy
Who cannot join
- Previous lumbar spine surgery
- Pacemaker or metallic implants
- Peripheral neuropathy or systemic neurological disorders
- Severe sensory loss
- Skin lesions at the treatment site
- Recent corticosteroid injection (< 3 weeks)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Egypt1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Faculty of Physical Therapy Cairo University
Giza
Shaimaa Mohamed Abdelmageed, Assistant Professor, 0201028202856, shaimaa.abdelmageed@pt.cu.edu.eg
About this study
Official title: Effect of Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer on Pain, Functional Outcome and Electrophysiological Parameters in Patients With Chronic Discogenic Sciatica
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) on pain, functional disability and electrophysiological parameters in adults with chronic discogenic sciatica . The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is there significant effect of TECAR therapy on pain, functional disability and Electrophysiological parameters (H-reflex latency and amplitude) ? Researchers will compare effect of adding TECAR therapy to conventional physical therapy program (TENS, hot pack, stretching exercises and core stability exercises) Vs conventional physical therapy program alone to see if there is a beneficial effect of adding TECAR therapy to physical therapy program Participants in study group will receive TECAR therapy in addition to conventional PT program while participants in control group will receive conventional PT program
- Conditions
- Lumbar Radiculopathy
- Being tested
- Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy, conventional physical therapy program
- Keywords
- TECAR therapy, sciatica
- Medical subject headings
- Radiculopathy, Sciatica
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapyDevice
Also called TECAR Device (INDIBA® 448 kHz)
- The participant lies prone or side-lying depending on comfort.
- Conductive cream is applied to the lumbar region (L4-S1) and gluteal area.
- Capacitive mode (CET) will be applied first to target superficial soft tissues.
- Resistive mode (RET) will follow to target deeper structures including paraspinal muscles, facet joints, and nerve root pathway.
- Each mode will be applied for a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 minutes CET + 10 minutes RET).
- Intensity adjusted to produce a deep warm sensation without discomfort.
- Total session duration: ~20 minutes treatment program will be delivered in manner of 3 sessions per week for four weeks.
conventional physical therapy programOther
conventional physical therapy program will include TENS, hot pack, stretching exercises and core stabilization exercises for 3 sessions per week for four weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Study (TECAR) Group | Experimental | Not described Receives: Device: Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy; Other: conventional physical therapy program |
| Control (Conventional treatment) Group | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Other: conventional physical therapy program |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain intensity
lower back pain will be assessed though Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which is used to measure the severity of pain. It is a straight line with one end representing no pain and the other end representing the worst imaginable pain. The subject will mark a point on the line that corresponds to the current level of pain he or she experiences. Higher values indicate higher levels of pain while lower values indicate lower levels of pain
Measured: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Secondary outcomes (2)
Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex)
H-reflex has been measured in the soleus muscle by stimulating the tibial nerve with a one-millisecond pulse at 0.2pps of H-max. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the highest recorded H-reflex and the latencies of four spaced traces for both lower extremities will be averaged for each participant.
lower amplitudes and delayed latencies indicate more damage to nerve root, while higher amplitudes and shorter latencies indicate less damage
Measured: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
functional disability
Functional disability will be evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), which is considered the gold standard for assessing disability in low back pain and radiculopathy. The ODI consists of 10 sections evaluating daily activities such as lifting, walking, sitting, and personal care. It is scored from 0% to 100%, where higher percentages represent more severe functional impairment
Measured: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Sep 2026
- Study start21 Sep 2026
- Primary completion21 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion21 Jan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Lumbar RadiculopathyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cairo UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 34 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Omar Abdelaziz, Cairo University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07841405
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- P.T.REC/012/006312
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer on Pain, Functional Outcome and Electrophysiological Parameters in Patients With Chronic Discogenic Sciatica
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07841405
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- P.T.REC/012/006312
- Conditions
- Lumbar Radiculopathy
- Keywords
- TECAR therapy, sciatica
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 34 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 21 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 21 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 21 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) on pain, functional disability and electrophysiological parameters in adults with chronic discogenic sciatica . The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is there significant effect of TECAR therapy on pain, functional disability and Electrophysiological parameters (H-reflex latency and amplitude) ? Researchers will compare effect of adding TECAR therapy to conventional physical therapy program (TENS, hot pack, stretching exercises and core stability exercises) Vs conventional physical therapy program alone to see if there is a beneficial effect of adding TECAR therapy to physical therapy program Participants in study group will receive TECAR therapy in addition to conventional PT program while participants in control group will receive conventional PT program
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Study (TECAR) Group | Experimental | Device: Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy, Other: conventional physical therapy program |
| Control (Conventional treatment) Group | Active comparator | Other: conventional physical therapy program |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 35 to 50 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Age between 30-50 years
- Unilateral chronic discogenic sciatica at L5-S1, MRI confirmed
- Symptom duration more than 3 months
- Pain score ≥ 4 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
- Ability to participate in outpatient physiotherapy
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Previous lumbar spine surgery
- Pacemaker or metallic implants
- Peripheral neuropathy or systemic neurological disorders
- Severe sensory loss
- Skin lesions at the treatment site
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapyAlso: TECAR Device (INDIBA® 448 kHz)* The participant lies prone or side-lying depending on comfort. * Conductive cream is applied to the lumbar region (L4-S1) and gluteal area. * Capacitive mode (CET) will be applied first to target superficial soft tissues. * Resistive mode (RET) will follow to target deeper structures including paraspinal muscles, facet joints, and nerve root pathway. * Each mode will be applied for a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 minutes CET + 10 minutes RET). * Intensity adjusted to produce a deep warm sensation without discomfort. * Total session duration: ~20 minutes treatment program will be delivered in manner of 3 sessions per week for four weeks. | Device | Study (TECAR) Group |
| conventional physical therapy programconventional physical therapy program will include TENS, hot pack, stretching exercises and core stabilization exercises for 3 sessions per week for four weeks. | Other | Control (Conventional treatment) Group, Study (TECAR) Group |
Primary outcome
Pain intensity
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
lower back pain will be assessed though Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which is used to measure the severity of pain. It is a straight line with one end representing no pain and the other end representing the worst imaginable pain. The subject will mark a point on the line that corresponds to the current level of pain he or she experiences. Higher values indicate higher levels of pain while lower values indicate lower levels of pain
2 secondary outcomes
Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex)
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
functional disability
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Oct 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy and conventional physical therapy program in people with Lumbar Radiculopathy, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Egypt.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Egypt. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact OMAR ABDELAZIZ MOSTAFA, bachelor (+201063019924, omarabdelaziz708@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain intensity (time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Oct 2026.