An interventional study of high-power laser and Pulsed electromagnetic field in Lumbar Radiculopathy, Hoffman's Reflex and Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy, sponsored by Cairo University. Completed at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 35 Years to 48 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-13.
Sponsored by Cairo University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
To compare between high-power laser versus pulsed electromagnetic therapy on pain and Hoffman reflex in lumbar radiculopathy.
Lumbar radiculopathy is one of the most common complaints evaluated by a spine surgeon. Its prevalence has been estimated to be 3%-5% of the population, affecting both men and women. Age is a primary risk factor, as it occurs secondary to the degenerative process within the spinal column. Symptoms typically begin in midlife, with men often affected in the 40s while women are affected in the 50s and 60s. Disc herniation is one of the primary causes of lumbar radiculopathy.
The pressure exerted by the herniated disc on the longitudinal ligament and the local inflammation results in localized back pain. The lumbar radicular pain arises when disc material exerts pressure or contacts the thecal sac or lumbar nerve roots, resulting in nerve root ischemia and inflammation. The annulus fibrosus is thinner on the posterolateral aspect and lacks support from the posterior longitudinal ligament, making it vulnerable to herniations. Due to the proximity of the nerve root, a posterolateral herniation is more likely to result in nerve root compression.
High Intensity Power Laser (HILT) delivers high-intensity light energy to deep tissues in short pulses (120-200 µs). It causes minor and slow light absorption by the chromophores, which increases mitochondrial bioenergetics by causing extra adenosine triphosphate synthesis and oxygen consumption, as well as RNA and DNA production, resulting in tissue stimulation. Various studies have shown that laser light has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and that it reduces edema. HILT also has photothermal properties, resulting from the transformation of high-energy light into heat in tissue.
Magnetic therapy is considered as a safe, easy and non-invasive physical therapy modality used to treat pain, inflammation and other types of pathologies and diseases. Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) refers to a basic law of electromagnetism that describes how a magnetic field interacts with an electric circuit to produce an electromotive force known as electromagnetic induction. Exposure to PEMF has been reported to modulate neuronal excitation and neurogenesis related to Na+ channel activity. Neurons excited by the exogenous electromagnetic force can also affect neighboring cells by ephaptic interaction. They also modulate levels of various growth factors that prevent autoimmune disease and inhibit tissue degeneration.
The H-reflex or "Hoffmann reflex" is obtained by electrode stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve in the popliteal space-at a slow rate with long duration-submaximal electrical shock, and recorded with surface electrodes over the gastrocnemius-soleus complex. The impulse travels up the sensory fibers to the spinal cord, synapses with the alpha motor neuron and returns down the motor fibers to the calf muscle. H-reflex latencies are long, in the 40 to 45 msec range. They are mostly carried out in the S1 root distribution and cannot be recorded consistently from other muscles.
Statement of the problem Is there any difference between high-power laser versus pulsed electromagnetic therapy on pain and hoffman reflex in lumbar radiculopathy?
Purposes of the study:
To compare between high-power laser versus pulsed electromagnetic therapy on pain and Hoffman reflex in lumbar radiculopathy.
483 studies on the registry are indexed under Radiculopathy; 145 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 373 interventional studies indexed under Radiculopathy.
Browse Radiculopathy studies →Cairo University is the lead sponsor of 4,941 studies on the registry; 1,458 are open to participants now.
Of its 37 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (14%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Sixty lumbar radiculopathy patients, of both sexes, will represent the sample.
Exclusion Criteria:
The patients will be excluded if they have one of the followings:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
study group (G1a) will receive 20 minutes of high-power laser therapy followed by 25 the same physical therapy program as control group.
Device: high-power laser · Other: physiotherapy program
The study group 2 patients will receive 20 minutes of Pulsed electromagnetic field followed by 25 the same selected physiotherapy program as control group.
Device: Pulsed electromagnetic field · Other: physiotherapy program
The control group patients will receive selected physiotherapy program.
Other: physiotherapy program
The study group (G1a) receive 20 minutes of high-power laser therapy followed by 25 the same physical therapy program as control group.
group 2 patients will receive 20 minutes of Pulsed electromagnetic field followed by 25 the same selected physiotherapy program as control group.
Selected Physical therapy program in the form of: 1. Nerve gliding exercise for sciatic nerve. 2. Hot pack for 15 minutes, for 12 sessions. 3. Core stability exercise (static abdominal exercise, bridging, knee to chest).
The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a tool for measuring pain intensity, using a continuous 10-centimeter line with "no pain" at one end (0) and "worst imaginable pain" at the other (10), where patients mark their current pain level, with a ruler used to measure the score from the zero mark for a score out of 10, commonly used in research and clinical settings to track pain changes.
Time frame: baseline
Hoffman reflex or H reflex
H-reflex will be 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. The soleus H-reflex will be evoked by tibial nerve stimulation in the popliteal fossa.
Time frame: baseline
Plan to share: Undecided
Ran from Feb 2026 to primary completion in Aug 2026, 5 months.
Of 203 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Radiculopathy, half reached primary completion within 11 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 30. This study's 5 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 215 studies reached it within 12 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 45.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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