Magnetic brain stimulation for muscle pain in people with insomnia
Tests magnetic brain stimulation on exercise-caused muscle pain in adults with insomnia.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Where
- Hong Kong, Hong KongSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- The Effect of Different rTMS Interventions on Acute Experimental Muscular Pain in Individuals Comorbid With Insomnia
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 30 people, planned
- Started
- 31 Aug 2026
- Expected to end
- 31 Aug 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on L M1
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on R DLPFC
- Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
- Record updated
- 18 September 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults with insomnia. After an exercise that makes the muscles sore, they will get rTMS (magnetic brain stimulation) or a sham (fake) stimulation.
- Age
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All sexes
- Disease stage
- People with insomnia. They must have no long-term muscle or joint pain and no pain at the time of joining.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Long-term muscle or joint pain in the past, or pain at the time of joining
- Major injury or surgery of the legs in the past
- Sleep disorders other than insomnia, or a diagnosed mental health disorder
- Conditions that make rTMS or hard exercise unsafe, for example epilepsy, severe head injury or metal implants
- Night or rotating shift work, or pregnancy
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 10 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Adults aged 18 to 60 years
- Right hand and foot dominant
Who cannot take part
- Previous major injuries or surgery involving the lower limbs
- History of any chronic musculoskeletal pain or presence of existing pain during recruitment
- Sleep disorders other than insomnia
- Clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders
- Conditions that preclude safe rTMS or pain testing (e.g., severe head trauma, intracranial hypertension, implanted ferromagnetic devices, history of epilepsy, skin conditions at stimulation sites)
- Contraindications to vigorous exercise identified through the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q)
- Work night shifts or rotating shift schedules
- Pregnant
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 60 years old?
Where in Hong Kong
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong, Hong KongContact: Leo Guohui LinTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Insomnia exacerbates pain sensitivity and impairs physiological recovery from acute musculoskeletal pain. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation intervention to alleviate pain and modulate central sensory processing. However, whether rTMS can effectively mitigate insomnia-induced pain hyperalgesia and accelerate the recovery trajectory of acute musculoskeletal pain remains unclear, as does the optimal neuroanatomical stimulation target.
Read full original descriptionShow less
Building upon an established experimental pain model, this randomized, sham-controlled study aims to evaluate the restorative effects of three distinct rTMS interventions - targeting the left primary motor cortex (L M1), the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R DLPFC), and a sham condition - on individuals experiencing insomnia. Following a standardized eccentric exercise protocol to induce muscle soreness, participants will receive three sessions of the allocated rTMS intervention at 0, 24, and 48 hours post-exercise. Pain sensitivity, recovery dynamics, and quantitative sensory testing (QST) metrics will be continuously monitored across the recovery timeframe.
The findings from this trial will clarify the therapeutic efficacy of rTMS in modulating acute pain under insomnia states and identify the target-specific mechanisms of cortical stimulation, offering evidence-based non-invasive interventions for musculoskeletal pain management.
The 3 groups in the trial
- R DLPFCTreatment being tested
rTMS interventions targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R DLPFC)
Treatment: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on R DLPFC
- L M1Existing treatment, for comparison
rTMS interventions targeting the left primary motor cortex (L M1)
Treatment: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on L M1
- ShamSham treatment, for comparison
sham rTMS stimulation
Treatment: Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- The Effect of Different rTMS Intervention on Acute Experimental Muscular Pain in Individuals Comorbid With Insomnia: a Pilot RCT
- Plain-language title
- Magnetic brain stimulation for muscle pain in people with insomniaGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07827677, who can take part
- Record updated
- 18 September 2026