Testing Yoga against a placebo for knee osteoarthritis
Official title: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Yoga for Knee Osteoarthritis
Combining Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Yoga for Improved Pain Management for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot and Feasibility Trial
Interventions
Yoga
Yoga program: In weeks 2-9, participants will attend twice weekly 1-hour sessions of yoga led by a certified yoga instructor trained in the intervention by collaborator Pearson. Videos will be provided for completion of home sessions. The yoga program is based on the Pain Care Aware certification program.38 Details of the program as well as the training of instructors are provided in the appendices. Briefly, classes will consist of 3 parts: centring and warming up aimed at regulating physiology prior to beginning the yoga postures; yoga postures and guided relaxation.
Canadian Sites (3)
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada
Université de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for20 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +community dwelling adults from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Hamilton and London, Ontario fulfilling the NICE criteria for KOA
- +≥45 years of age
- +Diagnosis of Knee osteoarthritis OR
- +Having movement-related joint pain with either no morning knee stiffness or stiffness of 30 minutes or less AND
- +Experiencing an average pain intensity of ≥3 /10 in the past month
Exclusion
- −Use of mobility aids.
- −Systemic inflammatory arthritis.
- −Any knee injection in the past 3 months.
- −Inability to independently get up and down from the floor.
- −Current participation in another OA clinical trialInterventional studyA study where participants are given something to see what happens.Read more →.
- −Currently receiving care for KOA pain (e.g., physiotherapy).
- −Planned absences exceeding 1 week.
- −Contraindications to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) such as neurological or neuropsychiatric conditions.
- −Metallic implants.
- −Epilepsy or history of substance abuse or dependence.
- −Cochlear or ocular implant.
- −Presence of a pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator.
- −Eczema on the scalp.
- −Lower limb trauma or surgery within the last 6 months.
- −History of brain surgery or tumor.
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
What is being given or done in this study: Yoga.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
- armsInterventionsModule.interventions[].name
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
Neither you nor the study team would know which group you are in until the study ends.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
One group receives a sham procedureSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → — one made to feel like the real thing but without the active step.
There are 2 groups in this study.
From the trial registry
Built from this field:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Who the study is looking for
The study lists a minimum age of 45 years, with no upper limit given.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 68 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around November 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: 9 weeks and 3 months.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Percentage of complete follow upFollow-upContinued check-ins after the treatment part is finished.Read more → — measured over 9 weeks and 3 months.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06228573 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About YogaProcedure
Yoga program: In weeks 2-9, participants will attend twice weekly 1-hour sessions of yoga led by a certified yoga instructor trained in the intervention by collaborator Pearson. Videos will be provided for completion of home sessions. The yoga program is based on the Pain Care Aware certification program.38 Details of the program as well as the training of instructors are provided in the appendices. Briefly, classes will consist of 3 parts: centring and warming up aimed at regulating physiology prior to beginning the yoga postures; yoga postures and guided relaxation.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a procedure is here: A surgery, technique or clinical procedure being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: a minimum age of 45 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study includes a shamSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → comparison — a procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
Neither you nor the study team would know which group you are in until the study ends.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists a minimum age of 45 years, with no upper limit given.
It is open to people of any sex.
It accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: 9 weeks and 3 months.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-11-15.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 68 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists 3 locations, including: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; London, Ontario, Canada; Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
People with knee arthritis often experience constant pain, and current treatments aren't very effective. This can lead to limited movement and more health problems. Knee arthritis is a big part of healthcare costs in Canada, and its pain is a major reason people see doctors. The pain is linked to complex nervous system changes, making current treatments, like exercise, not very successful. To address this, researchers suggest a new approach combining two things: a brain stimulation technique called Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and yoga. TDCS helps with pain by changing how the brain works, and yoga, a safe practice, focuses on overall well-being. Together, the investigators aim to improve how the nervous system works from top to bottom. The research project wants to change how the arthritis pain is being managed by focusing on how it works. The investigators plan to test this combo in a study comparing real tDCS plus yoga with fake tDCS plus yoga. The investigators will look not only at pain but also at other measures related to pain and how the nervous system works. This new mix could be a meaningful way to reduce pain for people with knee arthritis.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.