Active clinical trials for "Chronic Pain"

Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) is reported by 50% of pregnant women and up to 11 years after pregnancy, 10% of women have persistent and per definition chronic PGP. Central (nervous system) sensitization that elicits pain hypersensitivity, may be one explanation. The overall aim of this study is to explore features of central sensitization in pregnant women and its predictive ability on physical activity, functioning and health in women with PGP. Measurements of central sensitization will be done on two study groups, pregnant women with PGP and healthy controls. To identify women at risk to develop chronic pain in relation to a common pain experience ie PGP in pregnancy, may help us understand if central sensitization early in life explains why women develop chronic pain.

Chronic pain is a challenge for patients, physicians and society due to its high prevalence and its substantial individual and socio-economic burden. In recent years, innovative EEG-techniques have been used to study rhythmic brain activities in a variety of neuropsychiatric populations and in chronic pain and various abnormalities in neuronal oscillation patterns and connectivity between brain regions have been observed. However, it remains unclear whether these alterations of brain activity in chronic pain patients reflect pain characteristics like intensity, duration or type (e.g. neuropathic pain), or whether they reflect other symptoms associated with chronic pain. Neuropsychiatric comorbidities and cognitive deficits of chronic pain are being increasingly recognized, as they frequently cause substantial problems in social life and hinder patients from being able to work. However, it has not been studied yet whether neuronal oscillations and connectivity patterns in the brains of chronic pain patients covary with neuropsychiatric comorbidities (e.g. depression, anxiety, fatigue) and cognitive functioning. To this end, the investigators will obtain resting state EEG data in large cohort of patients with chronic pain and assess clinical characteristics of chronic pain including a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as working memory capacity as a proxy for cognitive functioning. Results from this study will offer valuable insights into and a better understanding of brain dysfunction of patients suffering from chronic pain. This can be helpful for diagnostic and therapeutic advances (e.g. brain stimulation and neurofeedback methods) in the near future.

The study is a nationwide, register-based cohort survey study. The objective of this study is to investigate whether weight change is associated with the incidence of persistent postoperative pain following total hip arthroplasty and knee arthroplasty across non-obese and obese and patients.

The goal of this observational study is to learn about spatial and temporal nociceptive filtering in adolescents with chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs). The main questions it aims to answer are: If spatial and temporal filtering of nociceptive information is disrupted in youth with COPCs compared with youth with localized pain conditions and healthy controls. If disrupted nociceptive processing at baseline is associated with the transition from a single localized pain condition to COPCs in youth. Participation includes: quantitative sensory testing blood draw sleep assessment questionnaires

This study aims to identify spatiotemporal alterations in thalamocortical circuitry functioning in both healthy subjects and patients with chronic pain, combining multimodal neuroimaging.

The main hypothesis of this study is that the alteration of the reward circuitry underlying the motivational deficit in chronic pain patients compared to healthy subjects results in a decrease in the capacity for reward learning. The fMRI studies have shown that this type of learning depends on the dopaminergic system innervating key regions of the reward system.

Exercise videos on the internet are used by millions worldwide to provide structure and motivation. They can guide exercise execution and play a role in helping people to maintain regular exercise. On completion of the Pain Management Programme (PMP) at the Walton Centre, many patients are measurably more able bodied as a result (or at least part of a result) of regular engagement in exercise. Despite these positive outcomes and the patients stated intent to continue with exercise, many patients are struggling to maintain exercise in a meaningful way when re-assessed at their six month follow up appointment. Patients have expressed that videos of the exercises would have motivated them to engage in sustained regular exercise in a more meaningful manner. As physiotherapists, we would like to ask a sample of patients on the PMP whether they anticipate exercise videos, reflecting the exercises practised on the PMP, would be beneficial for them to support maintenance/ sustainability of PMP exercises. Exercises practiced on the PMP include stretches, repeated movements in sitting, standing and lying, Pilates, yoga, normalised/functional movements and patients may like these exercises included in the videos. We plan to approach this using two focus groups followed by a qualitative analysis of recorded transcripts of the group discussions. Data would be analysed using a thematic analysis to establish key themes related to the research questions. The information gathered will inform the value of and content / format of specifically developed exercise videos. The outcome of this project will inform the PMP department of the use of exercise videos in this patient population and the value of this in encouraging people to keep up exercise over a sustained period. Other centres working with patients with chronic pain may be able to learn valuable lessons from this project in informing their own exercise promotion materials for their patients.

The study will provide important information regarding the biometric changes that occur in behavioral treatments for chronic pain and explore the additional impact of integrated movement and supervised exercise. The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if pain rehabilitation programs have impacts on physical function in patient reported outcomes and objective measures of physical activity or sedentary time with a wearable Fitbit. Additionally, we will examine the associations between movement, pain acceptance, and related health factors, such as pain severity, sleep, functional status, depression, and anxiety. The addition of biometric data will allow for further investigation of the association between objective measures and patient self-report measures.

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand if and how an animal-assisted intervention [AAI] using therapy dogs can support hemodialysis [HD] patients' treatment adherence and enhance their well-being. The main objectives are: Objective 1: Determine if the AAI impacts patients' HD treatment adherence (primary outcome is number of unplanned missed treatments no due to hospitalization). Objective 2: Evaluate if the AAI impacts patients' psychosocial well-being (secondary outcomes are stress, pain, mood, QOL). Objective 3: Examine potential mechanistic biomarkers that underpin human-animal bonding (hormones tied to stress and bonding). (exploratory aim) Objective 4: Understand patients' subjective experiences of the AAI. Participants will be asked to engage in several research tasks, including: assessments therapy dog visits monthly blood draws focus group Researchers will compare how the treatment group (those who receive 2 dogs visits per week) and the control group (those who receive 0 dog visits per week) to see if the AAI impacts treatment adherence and psychosocial well-being.

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).