Efficacy and safety of non-invasive brain stimulation for chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Ketao Du, Yifan Jiang, Jiaxin Pan and 7 others
PMID 41896883WHAT IT FOUND
Non-invasive brain stimulation reduced pain and disability in adults with chronic low back pain, but did not improve quality of life.
Effects varied widely, and several trials combined it with other treatments such as exercise, cognitive behavioural therapy, education, or manual therapy.
Key findings
01Pain intensity was lower after non-invasive brain stimulation than after sham or control across 20 trials.
02Disability was lower after non-invasive brain stimulation than after control across 14 trials.
03Quality of life did not significantly improve after non-invasive brain stimulation across 4 trials.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The studies differed widely in participants, stimulation type, dose, target, and treatment length, so one simple protocol cannot be inferred. Seven of the 21 trials were rated as having a high overall risk of bias. Quality of life was based on only four trials and was not significant. Only seven of 21 studies reported adverse events or dropout rates, so safety is not well characterised. Some trials combined stimulation with exercise, cognitive behavioural therapy, pain neuroscience education, or manual treatment, so the review cannot separate the effect of stimulation alone. No theta burst stimulation trials met the inclusion criteria, so this review does not address that technique.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that non-invasive brain stimulation alone caused the improvements. Several trials combined it with exercise, cognitive behavioural therapy, pain neuroscience education, or manual treatment, and the review did not separate the contribution of any single component.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →