Acceptability and Efficacy of Pain Reprocessing Therapy in Racially/ Ethnically Diverse Adults With Chronic Back Pain

Back Pain Clinical Trial

Official title: Feasibility and Acceptability of Pain Reprocessing Therapy in Racially/ Ethnically Diverse Adults With Chronic Back Pain

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn which treatment works better for adults with chronic pain. This study are comparing three treatments: Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and usual care (whatever a person is already doing to cope with their pain).

The study's main questions are:

• Does PRT work well for adults with chronic pain?

• Which treatment works better for lowering pain: PRT, CBT, or usual care?

This study will compare PRT, CBT, and usual care to see which is most helpful for lowering pain and helping with other problems that people with chronic pain can have.

Clinical Trial Description

Investigators recently developed a novel psychological treatment, pain reprocessing therapy (PRT). Using a combination of cognitive, exposure-based, and somatic psychotherapy techniques, PRT aims to promote patients' reconceptualization of pain as due to reversible, non-dangerous brain activity rather than peripheral pathology. Critically, PRT aims to reduce or eliminate pain, rather than increasing functioning.

In the first trial of PRT (N = 151), 66% of patients randomized to PRT were pain-free or nearly so at post-treatment, as compared to fewer than 20% of placebo and usual care controls. This trial was conducted in a primarily White, highly-educated population with face-to-face treatment, and how PRT effects would generalize to a more diverse population or to telehealth treatment is not known.

PRT was developed to better address pain intensity and pain-related outcomes compared to leading psychological treatments for pain such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This study aims to yield preliminary findings on the comparative efficacy of PRT vs. CBT vs. usual care. Developing scalable effective, non-pharmacological chronic pain treatments and testing their efficacy in racial/ethnic minorities is an urgent societal need. Accordingly, this study also tests a remotely-delivered PRT intervention in a diverse patient population.

Aim 1 of this study is to test the feasibility (recruitment & retention) of conducting a randomized clinical trial comparing remotely-delivered PRT with an active comparator, CBT, and usual care and to assess the acceptability (helpfulness, satisfaction, & impact) of PRT in a diverse, lower socioeconomic status (SES) patient population.

Aim 2 of this study is to test the comparative efficacy of PRT vs. CBT and PRT vs. usual care on pain intensity and other pain-related outcomes. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Back Pain
• Chronic Pain
• Pain, Chronic

• NCT number: NCT05820204
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Colorado, Denver
• Contact: Jonathan K. Ashar, Ph.D.
• Phone: 303.724.2536
• Email: yoni.ashar@cuanschutz.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 12, 2023
• Completion date: January 2025