Clinical Research Directory

Examining Racial and Socioeconomic Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain

The purpose of this research study is to gain a better understanding of how people's racial background and socioeconomic status (e.g., income, education, and employment) impact their experiences of chronic low back pain (cLBP).

Dose-Response Effects of a Brief Audio-Guided Mindfulness Intervention for Acute Pain

This project is a single-site, three-arm, randomized controlled trial investigating whether different length audio-recorded mindfulness practices differentially decrease pain among patients in a waiting room awaiting orthopedic care.

Virtual Intelligence for Transformative Lifestyle Solutions in Pain

This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a VR-based chronic pain management intervention with a virtual AI coach for patients with Opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OM/OUD). The intervention is a single-day 45-minute VR intervention which is subdivided into three smaller sessions: Session 1: A 15-minute AI check-in to ask questions about biopsychosocial health, Session 2: A 20-minute Pain Coping Skills Training (PCST) session offering psychoeducation on managing chronic pain Session 3: A 10-minute stress reduction exercise. The VR sessions will be conducted using hardware (VR Headset Device - Meta Quest 3) and software developed by AugMend Health Company. The study will be conducted in a clinical setting at the Montefiore Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Program (MMPP), a Pain Medicine outpatient specialty practice within a major urban medical center. MMPP providers see thousands of patients every month, some of which have concurrent opioid misuse or OM/OUD.

Patient Retrospective Outcomes (PRO)

This study will evaluate de-identified (anonymous) data in subject medical charts to review the clinical outcomes of various treatment approaches in the treatment of chronic pain.

Does Patient Testimonial Improve the Pain Relief Derived From a Brief Intervention

This project is a single-site, two-arm, randomized controlled trial investigating whether providing patients in an orthopedic clinic waiting room an audio-recorded mindfulness practice decreases their pain relative to an injury management control condition.

Evaluation of Alexithymia in Chronic Pain Patients With Spinal Cord Stimulation

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between alexithymia levels and clinical parameters, including pain intensity and quality of life, in chronic pain patients treated with spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Chronic neuropathic pain can lead to psychological distress and decreased quality of life. While SCS is an effective neuromodulation therapy for managing refractory pain, patient outcomes vary significantly, suggesting that biomedically similar patients experience different levels of relief due to psychosocial factors. Alexithymia, characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions, may significantly influence the individual pain experience and treatment outcomes. In this cross-sectional observational study, patients who underwent SCS implantation for clinical indications will be evaluated. Clinical data regarding pain history will be collected retrospectively from patient files, while psychosocial profiles will be assessed at a single time point using validated psychometric questionnaires. The study aims to contribute to a better understanding of psychosocial variables in neuromodulation outcomes, potentially aiding in improved patient selection and expectation management.

Brain Connectivity Patterns in Chronic Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

This study addresses the timely problem of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD), the most common cause of orofacial pain second only to tooth pain. Findings from previous studies suggest that dysregulation of connectivity within specific brain circuits is part of chronic pain pathophysiology. This study will identify connectivity patterns within those brain circuits as potential signatures for pain- related disability in chronic TMD pain participants. New knowledge regarding these brain connectivity patterns is expected to be significant because it will support improved phenotyping of this heterogeneous participant population. It is also expected that this finding can potentially be extrapolated to other chronic pain conditions, such as back pain, migraine headache, and fibromyalgia that are frequently comorbid conditions in chronic TMD participants.

Pain Neuroscience Education for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, with a high prevalence in Spain (25.9%) and an average duration of 6.83 years, highlighting its significant health and social impact. Among its manifestations, chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most common, affecting 58.1% of individuals with chronic pain, while fibromyalgia (FM) accounts for 10.4%. In both cases, a relevant proportion of patients do not present a clear organic cause, which complicates diagnosis and treatment and reflects the complexity of nonspecific chronic pain. CLBP is associated with a high functional and occupational impact, being one of the main causes of temporary disability. FM, on the other hand, is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbances, and emotional symptoms, constituting a condition with systemic involvement. Both conditions can occur throughout the lifespan, with variations in prevalence depending on age, sex, social class, and the presence of comorbidities. Aging introduces relevant differences in pain experience and treatment response. At the physiological level, changes occur in the musculoskeletal system, such as the progressive loss of muscle mass (especially type II fibers) and decreased bone mineral density, which increases the risk of sarcopenia and frailty. In contrast, young adults show greater anabolic capacity, better hypertrophic response, and higher neuromuscular efficiency, favoring faster adaptations to exercise. These differences justify the need to consider age as a key factor in the therapeutic approach. In addition to structural changes, central sensitization plays a fundamental role in the chronification of pain. This process involves sustained hyperexcitability of the central nervous system, with a reduced pain threshold and altered inhibitory mechanisms, contributing to the persistence of pain even in the absence of significant tissue damage. Therapeutic exercise (TE) is one of the main non-pharmacological interventions for chronic pain and has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing pain and improving functionality. However, its long-term effects are limited, largely due to adherence issues related to pain, as well as psychological, social, and educational factors. Educational level influences both the understanding of the intervention and adherence, generally being higher in young adults, which may affect treatment outcomes. In this context, Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) has emerged as a complementary strategy aimed at improving understanding of pain mechanisms and promoting adaptive behavioral changes. The combination of PNE and TE has shown positive effects in patients with CLBP and FM, especially in variables related to pain and psychosocial factors. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the impact of this combination on objective functional parameters, such as spinal movement during functional activities. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effectiveness of the combined intervention of PNE and TE not only on pain but also on biomechanical variables such as range, velocity, and quality of movement, using precise measurement instruments.

Assessment of Prolonged Pain in Infants With Excessive Crying: the Role of Thermal Imaging

This study aims to propose a clinical assessment of chronic pain in infants using thermal imaging, by comparing the results of a validated behavioral scale (the EDIN) and a stress biomarker (salivary cortisol levels) with systematic thermal images of the body and face.

Paresthesia-Free Fast-Acting Subperception (FAST) Study

Study to evaluate the effectiveness of FAST-SCS (fast-acting paresthesia-free therapy) and additional SCS therapy options in patients with chronic pain using Boston Scientific WaveWriter SCS Systems.

Performance and Safety of the ANTALGEEK® Thess Monitoring Medical Device in the Outpatient Management of Acute Pain and Postoperative Recovery

Acute postoperative pain (APOP) is a major public health problem, affecting nearly 10 million patients in France each year. Effective analgesic therapy in the first postoperative week is a key factor in reducing early postoperative morbidity and mortality. Poorly controlled APOP is a major risk factor for chronic postoperative pain. In France today, more and more patients undergo surgical procedures as outpatients. The challenge is to manage postoperative pain in the homes of patients who have undergone increasingly complex surgical procedures, either after outpatient surgery or after a prompt return home as part of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol. In outpatient surgery, postoperative pain management requires new strategies and/or organizational approaches to ensure high-quality pain management from the very start. The principle of analgesia for acute postoperative pain recommends: i) routine, fixed-schedule maintenance therapy; and ii) rescue therapy if maintenance therapy is insufficient, based on pain titration, using mild or strong oral opioids. Postoperative pain is the primary focus of postoperative care but the goal is also to improve postoperative recovery and enhance the patient's overall care. To date, there are no medical telemonitoring devices to support the patient in properly taking their analgesics based on multiple-daily assessments of the efficacy and tolerability of the analgesic treatment, enabling systematic postoperative screening for early and late warning signs of the risk of chronic pain. The Thess Monitoring device, which implements the ANTALGEEK® protocol, (TMA) was developed to optimize the efficiency of outpatient management of acute postoperative pain. It improves patients' adherence to maintenance treatment with adaptive, personalized control of analgesia through better use of opioid rescue therapy, and the reduction of adverse effects associated with improper opioid use (under- or over-dosing). The aim is to ensure optimal pain resolution and improve early and late postoperative recovery during the first postoperative week. The TMA system enables remote monitoring of the efficacy and tolerability of analgesic treatment, as well as early and late warning signs of the risk of chronic pain. By measuring pain scores daily during the first postoperative week, it identifies patients with a suboptimal pain trajectory who are at high risk of developing persistent pain beyond the third month. It also assesses warning signs of the risk of chronic pain (neuropathic pain, persistent opioid use) at intervals following the procedure (Day 8, Month 1, Month 2, Month 3). Improving the patient care pathway via the TMA system should make it possible to better coordinate postoperative follow-up between hospital-based and community-based care.

Healthy Behaviors for Insomnia Prevention in People With HIV and Ongoing Pain

The purpose of this research study is to test whether Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) delivered over the phone or Brief Mindfulness Training (BMT) delivered over the phone is better able to improve the symptoms of insomnia, reduce chronic pain, and slow the pace of biological aging in individuals with HIV and Chronic Pain.

Multimodal Telerehabilitation Versus Face-to-Face Care for Adults With Hemophilia and Chronic Pain

Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder that is commonly associated with chronic joint pain, reduced physical function, and decreased quality of life. Pain science education combined with exercise therapy has shown beneficial effects in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain; however, its effectiveness in people with hemophilia remains largely unknown. Telerehabilitation may improve access to rehabilitation by reducing geographical and transportation barriers, but its effectiveness compared with face-to-face delivery has not been established in this population. This randomized controlled non-inferiority trial will compare a 6-week multimodal telerehabilitation program consisting of pain science education and therapeutic exercise with an equivalent face-to-face program in adults with hemophilia and chronic pain. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two interventions. Clinical outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention by an assessor blinded to group allocation. The study aims to determine whether telerehabilitation provides clinical outcomes that are not inferior to those achieved with conventional face-to-face rehabilitation.

Healthy Aging as Black Adults, In It Together: a Comparative Effectiveness Study of Chronic Pain and Cognitive Decline

The investigators aim to conduct a randomized controlled trial to compare two symptom-management programs for Black older adults with early cognitive decline (self-reported confirmed by testing) and chronic pain. The programs are Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with Walking (MBCT+w) and Active Living Every Day (ALED). The investigators will assess how each program may help in improving physical, cognitive, and emotional function. The investigators will also assess whether improvements in outcomes from the two programs are maintained through a 6-month follow-up.

Pectoral Nerve Block Versus Paravertebral Block In The Incidence of Chronic Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery

Chronic pain after Mastectomy is frequent and an important healthcare priority because of its effect on quality of life. Although the association between the severity of acute pain after surgery and the likelihood of chronic pain is known, their causal relationship has not been clarified. Mastectomy, frequently done for the management of breast cancer, is associated with significant acute postoperative pain and limited shoulder movement.

Managing Pain Using Optimized Sequences by Adjusting Parameters With Independent Current Control

Study to evaluate the effectiveness of time variant pulse (TVP)-SCS in patients with chronic pain using commercially approved Boston Scientific SCS Systems per local Instructions for use (IFU). In addition, to compile real-world clinical outcomes in subjects with chronic, intractable low back and/or leg pain.

Assessing the Efficacy of an Acceptance-Based Digital Intervention for Veterans With Chronic Pain

Pain has been identified as among the most frequent presenting medical complaints, in particular within primary care for Veterans. There are few areas of daily living and functioning that pain intensity does not impact, with reported pain intensity related to difficulties in social situations and changes in activities of daily life, sleep, and appetite. Therapeutic interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP) that target issues related to the cognitions and emotional concerns related to chronic pain have been well-documented for reduction of associated psychiatric symptoms and modest pain relief. At the same time, online programming can improve the ability of pain psychoeducation programs and ACT-CP to reach patients. The proposed project will compare online Veteran ACT for Chronic Pain (VACT-CP) compared to another pain program, Online Pain School, to evaluate how they assist Veterans with chronic pain to improve their functioning, pain management, and quality of life.

Chronic Pain Management In Primary Care Using Behavioral Health Consultants

The purpose of this randomized pragmatic trial is to assess the effect of monthly booster contacts on long-term Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (BCBT-CP) pain outcomes compared to BCBT-CP without a booster in 716 Military Health Systems (MHS) beneficiaries referred to a Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC) for pain management using BCBT-CP. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive either standard BCBT-CP (working with a BHC in the medical home clinic) or standard BCBT-CP with adjunctive monthly booster contacts. Patient participants will be assessed 3-, 6-, 12- and 18-Months following their first appointment for BCBT-CP. Prospective data will be supplemented by a national data pull in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency and the Uniformed Services University Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research. Pulled data will include a national deidentified dataset of electronic health record data for all individuals treated in the military health system who had access to a Behavioral Health Consultant for the treatment under study in this trial.

Consensus-based Algorithms to Address Opioid Misuse Behaviors Among Individuals Prescribed Long-term Opioid Therapy

The NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative has identified a critical next step to addressing the opioid crisis: improving treatments for opioid misuse behaviors (e.g., using more opioids than prescribed, illicit substance use) in patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. In previous work, the investigators have developed innovative consensus-based algorithms to manage these behaviors. By developing implementation strategies for these algorithms, this project is directly responsive to the HEAL initiative and promises to reduce opioid misuse-related harms.

Clinical Study Of a Micro-Implantable Pulse Generator For The Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

This post market study is being conducted to document the comparative effectiveness and safety of peripheral nerve stimulation plus conventional medical management versus conventional medical management alone in the treatment of chronic, intractable peripheral neuralgia of post-traumatic or post-surgical origin. This is a prospective, minimal risk, multi-center, randomized control trial.

The Effects of Focal Muscle Vibration Combined With Exercise on Sensorimotor Activity in Individuals With Chronic Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

Background: Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is a common shoulder disorder characterized by pain, altered movement patterns, and functional impairment. Forty-four to sixty-five percents of the patients with SIS would develop chronic symptoms. Chronic subacromial impingement syndrome (CSIS) is involved in the alteration of central nervous system, such as somatosensory dysfunction and corticomotor changes. The treatments for these patients usually focus on shoulder control and strengthening exercise but no treatment has been found to be targeted on the alterations in somatosensory dysfunction. Focal muscle vibration (FMV) is a useful tool to provide proprioceptive stimulation and has showed short-term effects of improving sensorimotor performance in both healthy and diseased individuals when combined with exercise. To our knowledge, no study has used FMV combined with shoulder exercise for individuals with shoulder problems. Purpose: To investigate the effects of FMV combined with exercise on somatosensory activity, corticomotor excitability, pain and function in individuals with CSIS. Methods: This is a randomized control trial. We will recruit ninety subjects with CSIS to receive a 12-session treatment protocol of FMV combined with shoulder exercises. The subjects will be randomized into a treatment group or control group. While the treatment group will receive 20-minute FMV when doing strength training, the control group will have the vibrators attached on but without being turned on during strength training. Both groups will have a 10-20 minutes of shoulder control training following the FMV protocol. The outcomes will be measured before and after the 12-session treatment protocol and include measures of somatosensory activity (using Electroencephalography, EEG), corticomotor excitability (using transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS), pressure pain threshold, depression scale, pain intensity in a numerical rating scale, and shoulder function. The somatosensory measures include somatosensory-evoked potentials and event-related potentials during arm elevation. Corticomotor measures include motor evoked potentials, active and rest motor threshold and cortical silent period as well as intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory mechanisms. Shoulder function will be measured with the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand scale, the patient-specific functional scale, and the global rating of change scale. Statistical analysis: The continuous and categorical variables of basic data will be analyzed by and independent t test and a Chi-square test, respectively. A two-way mixed ANOVA will be used to test between-group and within-group intervention effects. If there is a significant interaction effect, post hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction will be used. The alpha level is set at 0.05.

Validation of the Turkish Brief Inventory of Treatment Expectations in Chronic Pain

The purpose of this study is to conduct the Turkish cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability study of the "Brief Inventory of Treatment Expectations in Chronic Pain" (BITEC) scale. Chronic pain is a complex, multidimensional experience that affects a significant portion of the adult population. Treatment expectations play a critical role in predicting clinical outcomes and directly influencing placebo/nocebo responses. While several tools exist to evaluate expectations, there is a lack of a concise, clinician-friendly, and Item Response Theory (IRT)-based instrument adapted for Turkish chronic pain populations. The BITEC is a 9-item scale that evaluates biological, psychological, and social/interactional expectation domains. This methodological and cross-sectional study will be conducted with adult patients diagnosed with chronic pain for at least three months at Bingöl State Hospital. The study will be carried out in four consecutive stages: cross-cultural adaptation (forward and backward translation), comprehensibility pre-testing (with 30-40 volunteers), main data collection (with at least 200 participants), and statistical analyses. Data will be collected through printed forms and an online survey platform (Kobotoolbox), involving no clinical interventions. Participants will complete a sociodemographic information form, the Turkish version of the BITEC (BITEC-TR), the Treatment Expectations in Chronic Pain Scale (TEC-TR), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Additionally, a subgroup of approximately 60 participants will recomplete the BITEC-TR 7-10 days after the initial session to evaluate test-retest reliability. Psychometric evaluation will include construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and internal consistency and stability measurements.

Improving Sleep in Veterans With the Polytrauma Clinical Triad

The "polytrauma clinical triad" (PCT), a highly disabling constellation of factors, is defined by the coexistence of traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain. Veterans with the PCT are medically complex, often refractory to conventional therapies, and suffer from additional related chronic sequela. Notably, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairment, which the investigators hypothesize are significant contributing factors to these functional impairments and an impediment toward rehabilitation. Thus, the investigators' research aims to intervene "at the level of sleep", and by improving sleep, improve these interconnected, disabling, and difficult to treat enduring complexities associated with the PCT - ultimately to improve Veteran quality of life, functional independence, and restorative function. The investigators predict that the proposed intervention, morning bright light therapy, which is cost-effective, rapidly deployable and home-based, will be effective in improving sleep and overall PCT symptom management, thereby, resulting in a measurable and impactful improvement in quality of life.

Turkish Adaptation of the Pain and Smoking Inventory

The purpose of this study is to perform the Turkish cross-cultural adaptation of the Pain and Smoking Inventory (PSI) and to comprehensively evaluate its reliability, validity, and psychometric properties among daily cigarette smokers with chronic pain.