View clinical trials related to Chronic Pain.
Filter by:Low back pain is a major contributor to the chronic pain burden in the community. Although there are numerous pain generators in the spine, lumbar facet joints are one of the most common sources of pain. A variety of measures such as physiotherapy, oral analgesics and minimally invasive injections are used to treat lumbar facet joint pain. Facet joint steroid injections and radiofrequency denervations of the facet joint are the most commonly performed minimally invasive pain procedures for lumbar facet joint pain. Radiofrequency denervation is carried out by thermal lesioning of the medial branches that supply the facet joints. Conventionally two medial branches have been shown to innervate one facet joint and based on this, the norm is to lesion two nerves to denervate one facet joint. However, there is some variation in the nerve supply which may account for failure or false negative results of the diagnostic blocks. The aim of the present study is to explore the feasibility of sensory mapping, thereby referral pattern of the lumbar medial branches using suprathreshold stimulation and to correlate the referral patterns with painful areas in the back and leg. It will also test if the present method of lesioning two nerves to denervate one facet joint is appropriate.
To evaluate and compare the NoL index variations after a painful physiotherapy exercise in patients with upper limb CRPS, before and after a stellate ganglion block.
This study is a randomized controlled trial studying the efficacy of an iCBT treatment for patients with chronic pain and comorbid psychiatric distress. Half the participants will receive treatment at first, while the other half serve as a control group. After the first group has received treatment, the same program will be offered to participants in the control group. Treatment will be tailored on the level of individual participants, enabling individuals suffering a wide range of problems to be recruited. The treatment will consist of a 10-week guided self-help program, followed by a booster program and follow-up one year later. During the curse of the treatment the participants will be guided via text communication by a licensed psychologist or a candidate psychologist on their last year of studies. The primary hypothesis is that an individually tailored CBT-treatment administered through the internet can be beneficial for patients suffering from chronic pain and comorbid psychiatric distress. The investigators expect that patients in the treatment group will show reduced levels of disability, depression and anxiety, while improving on scales measuring coping and quality of life.
The current way that pain is treated after trauma and injury is problematic. Most often pain after trauma is treated with opioids (ex. Percocet® or Vicodin®) or anti-inflammatories (ex. ibuprofen). Both of these medications can cause side effects and opioids have been related to the development of addiction. In addition, there are not any treatments that prevent pain from going on to become persistent (last beyond it is supposed to) or chronic (lasting 3 months or longer). Chronic pain is an enormous problem and there an urgent need to find both alternatives to opioid pain medications and medications that prevent pain from becoming chronic. The ATTAC-Pain (Altering The Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain) study proposes to examine whether duloxetine (a medication that is marketed for depression, anxiety, and specific types of pain conditions), can reduce acute and chronic pain among adults who come to the emergency department (ED)with muscular pain (such as neck pain after a car accident or low back pain). Investigators will enroll 60 patients who come to the ED. Patients will be eligible if they report moderate to severe muscular pain (such as pain in the back, neck, or shoulders). Consenting patients will be randomized to receive duloxetine 30mg, duloxetine 60mg, or placebo (2/3rd chance of being in one of the duloxetine groups). The study team will follow patients for six weeks and collect information on pain outcomes and use of pain medications. Investigators aim to determine if duloxetine can (1) reduce acute pain symptoms following the ED visit, (2) prevent the transition to persistent pain (having pain 6 weeks after the initial ED visit), and (3) decrease opioid use following a motor vehicle collision (MVC). The results of this study will ultimately help determine if duloxetine can be used as a non-opioid pain treatment option that reduces acute pain and prevents the transition to chronic pain. This in turn can improve recovery, reduce opioid use and its consequences, and decrease health care costs.
The purpose of this study is to develop repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a potential treatment for pain in individuals on prescription opioid medication. Repetitive TMS is a non-invasive technique that uses magnetic pulses to temporarily stimulate specific brain areas in awake people (without the need for surgery, anesthetic, or other invasive procedures). This study will test whether 10 days of rTMS over the prefrontal cortex can produce a reduction in perception of pain and the desire to use opiates. TMS has been approved by the FDA as an investigational tool as well a therapy for depression.
This is a 10-month internet-based randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether an online chronic pain management program ("E-Health") can assist with reduced opioid reliance in chronic pain patients. About half of the eligible participants will receive access to the E-Health program in addition to their standard chronic pain treatment; the other half will just continue receiving their standard chronic pain treatment.
Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent and debilitating medical conditions and opioid analgesics are a commonly prescribed class of medications in the United States. Opioid efficacy has been proven in terms of managing acute and chronic pain; however, opioid overdose deaths, addictions, and diversions have all continued to increase over the years. The purpose of this study is to increase patient engagement in pain management and education, and to decrease opioid use by 10% over the study period. This study will also help present opportunities for future studies to obtain insight regarding the chronic use of opioids.
The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial of an 8-week resilience-enhanced CBT online self-management program for chronic pain plus usual care (PRISM), standard e-CBT self-management plus usual care (e-CBT), and usual care alone. Thus, 300 individuals with chronic pain will undergo a comprehensive pre-intervention assessment that includes a blood draw (T1). Participants will then be randomized 2:2:1 as follows: e-CBT (n=120), PRISM (n=120) and usual care (n = 60). Immediately post-intervention (T2) and at 6 months (T3) and 12 months (T4) after that, participants undergo the same in-person assessment including blood draw. Telomerase activity will be assessed at T1, T2 and T3; and telomere length at T1 and T4
This is an observational study of a voluntary opioid tapering protocol conducted in community outpatients taking long term prescription opioids for chronic pain. Patients who would otherwise continue with their existing opioid prescriptions were encouraged to participate in a voluntary opioid taper program. Interested patients were identified by their pain physician, Dr. Richard Stieg, and then completed an online informed consent document and baseline self-report assessments including types and doses of opioid medications as well as demographic and psychosocial measures, clinical and pain characteristics. Patients were either given or mailed a free copy of a patient book The Opioid-Free Pain Relief Kit, or Less Pain, Fewer Pills: Avoid the dangers of prescription opioids and gain control over chronic pain. Over the following weeks and up to 4 months, Dr. Stieg implemented a slow, individually tailored opioid taper in all patient participants. Follow-up online self-report surveys were completed at 4 months post enrollment. Opioid dose data were confirmed via medical chart review, and doses were converted to a standardized morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD). Main outcome was change in opioid dose baseline to 4 months. Secondary outcome was change in pain intensity (numeric rating scale, 0-10) baseline to 4 months.
Investigators will compare Clinical Decision Support (CDS) versus Patient Education and Activation Tools (PEATs) in patients prescribed long-term or multiple opioids to measure outcomes that are important to patients. Primary outcomes are pain interference, physical function, and satisfaction with patient-physician communication. Secondary outcomes are overall Health-Related Quality of Life and high-risk prescribing, including prescriptions over 90 morphine milligram equivalents per day and co-prescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids. Patients in the PEAT arm will receive patient materials during the intervention, developed to engage patients in chronic pain treatment, prior to Primary Care Physician office visits. In the provider-facing CDS arm, PCPs will receive computerized reminders about appropriate opioid use during office visits for enrolled patients. Patients in both groups will receive questionnaires about pain interference, quality of life, and physician-patient communication through the patient portal one month after each visit to their Primary Care Physician (PCP). Investigators will use multi-level regression models to compare the effectiveness of these two communication strategies.