Exploring the therapeutic potential of transcranial direct current stimulation for chronic low back pain: a scoping review.
Aminu A Ibrahim, Katayan Klahan, Kanphajee Sornkaew and 3 others
PMID 40536666WHAT IT FOUND
Evidence for tDCS in chronic low back pain is mixed and inconclusive.
Some studies show reduced pain or disability, others show no benefit. The review does not support changing clinical practice, but notes tDCS appears safe with only mild side effects.
Key findings
01The review found inconsistent results for tDCS across pain, disability, and other outcomes, with some studies showing significant improvement and others showing no difference compared to sham.
02tDCS appears safe, with only mild or minor side effects like tingling, itching, or headache reported, and these effects were equally common in active and sham groups.
03The review explicitly states its results are not intended to provide evidence to guide clinical practice.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review did not perform a meta-analysis, so it cannot provide pooled effect sizes or determine which specific protocols work best. Included studies had highly variable tDCS protocols (electrode size, current intensity, duration, combination with other therapies), making it difficult to draw clear conclusions about efficacy. Follow-up periods were short (3 days to 6 months), so long-term effects are unknown. Many studies had high or serious risk of bias, particularly regarding outcome measurement and confounding. The review explicitly states its findings are not intended to guide clinical practice.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the mixed positive results as evidence that tDCS works for chronic low back pain. The review found no consistent benefit, high variability in how tDCS was applied, and explicitly states the findings are not intended to guide clinical practice.