Effect of Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive on Chronic Discogenic Sciatica

NCT07841405 — Not applicable, Recruiting, 34 participants, Cairo University

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Effect of Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer on Pain, Functional Outcome and Electrophysiological Parameters in Patients With Chronic Discogenic Sciatica

Registry	NCT07841405
Status	Recruiting
Phase	Not applicable
Study type	Interventional; randomized, parallel, masking: single, treatment
Enrollment	34 (Estimated)
Sponsor	Cairo University (Other)
Conditions	Lumbar Radiculopathy
Interventions	Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy, conventional physical therapy program (Device, other)
Dates	start 2026-09-21 (estimated), primary completion 2027-01-21 (estimated), completion 2027-01-21 (estimated), first posted 2026-09-25, last updated 2026-09-28
Locations	1 site in Egypt

-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 . 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

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+Arms and interventions

Arm	Type	Interventions	Description
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

Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy (Device), also known as 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 program (Other): conventional physical therapy program will include TENS, hot pack, stretching exercises and core stabilization exercises for 3 sessions per week for four weeks.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

Pain intensity [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
functional disability [from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks]: 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
Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) [from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks]: 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

+Eligibility

Sex: Male, ages: 35 Years to 50 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* 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

Exclusion Criteria:

* 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)

+Locations (1)

Facility	City	Country	Status
Faculty of Physical Therapy Cairo University	Giza	Egypt	Recruiting