Active clinical trials for "Chronic Pain"

The study is a 4-week double-blind, randomized, controlled, parallel design investigation to investigate the impact of intermittent negative pressure on spasticity and pain in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). The investigational device (FlowOx2.0™) is composed of a Pressure Chamber and a Control Unit (and disposable parts). All subjects will receive the same pressure chamber but be randomized to either a Control Unit that generates intermittent negative pressure (INP) of - (minus) 40 mmHg or a Control Unit that generates INP of - 10 mmHg. FlowOx2.0™ generating -40 mmHg is the investigational device, and FlowOx2.0™ generating -10 mmHg, is the comparator device. After the initial 4-week double-blind period, all participants will be offered the -40mmHg control unit to be used during a 6-months optional extension part.

Investigators have previously shown that specific colors of light can alter nociception. Green light emitting diode exposure (GLED) provides long-lasting antinociception in rodents, through the visual system. No adverse effects were noted, and motor performance was not impaired. Investigator clinical trials have shown GLED is also effective in decreasing pain intensity of fibromyalgia patients and decreasing the number of headache-days per month in migraine patients. However, investigators do not yet understand the mechanisms by which GLED reduces pain. Understanding the mechanisms of action of GLED will provide additional support for using light therapy as both a treatment and as a possible diagnostic tool. While investigators do not fully understand the mechanisms of action of GLED, investigators do know that it is centrally mediated. To better elucidate the mechanism of action for GLED, investigators propose a single-blinded randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to elucidate the central mechanism(s) of action that GLED therapy has in improving fibromyalgia pain, conducted by a team with a successful record of collaboration. Investigator's hypothesis is that GLED decreases neuroinflammation leading to modulation of the signaling in the ascending and descending pain pathways.

HOPE is a randomized clinical trial that will evaluate approaches to reducing pain and opioid use among patients with chronic pain who are receiving maintenance hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease. The hypothesis is that pain coping skills training will be effective at reducing pain and opioid use, and that buprenorphine will be acceptable and tolerable as an approach to managing physical dependence on opioids in this patient population.

This study is a randomized study that compares two commonly used post-operative pain reducing techniques by measuring the level of pain and use of pain medication after knee surgery.

We are investigating the effects of a mind-body based mobile application on the experience of chronic pain. Participants meeting our criteria for chronic pain (confirmed via self-report) will complete an online baseline questionnaire. Eligible participants will be enrolled in the study and randomized into control (usual care, waitlisted) or intervention group (6-week mind-body based mobile application intervention). Randomization will be stratified by pain intensity and gender using computer-generated block randomization to create varying block sizes of 4 and 8. We will run the trial in multiple cohorts in series to obtain desired sample size. All participants will complete online questionnaires at baseline and post-intervention at 6 weeks that measure pain intensity, interference with daily living, pain perceptions, mental health outcomes, and medication use. Participants will also complete weekly questionnaires on weeks 2 to 6 to gauge frequency of application usage (intervention) or other pain treatments (control). Participants in the intervention group will be asked to repeat the follow-up questionnaire at 12-weeks.

An emerging scientific model that has been applied to chronic pain is the psychological flexibility (PF) model. PF refers to the ability to behave consistently with one's values even in the face of unwanted thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations such as pain. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is the best known treatment derived from the PF model and is as effective as the gold standard Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), but falls short on achieving meaningful changes in functional improvement. Although ACT was designed to impact PF, methods from different treatment approaches are also consistent with the model. An experiential strategy that holds promise for enhancing PF is formal mindfulness meditation, a practice used to train non-judgmental awareness and attention to present-moment experiences, which has never been tested within the PF model. There is compelling theoretical and empirical rationale that the mechanisms underlying formal mindfulness meditation will bolster PF processes and thereby can be applied to facilitate functional improvement. To test this, the principal investigator, has developed a novel 8-week group-based intervention, Mindful Action for Pain (MAP), which integrates formal mindfulness meditation with experiential methods from different evidence-based treatment approaches in accordance with the PF model. MAP is designed such that daily mindfulness meditation practice is used to develop the capacity to more completely utilize strategies to address the key psychosocial barriers (e.g., pain catastrophizing) to optimal functioning. This CDA-2 project consists of two phases. Phase 1 (years 1 - 2) consists of using qualitative and quantitative methods to iteratively develop and refine MAP over the course of 4 MAP cycles (n = 20). Phase 2 (years 3 - 5) consists of a pilot RCT (n = 86) of MAP vs. CBT for chronic pain (CBT-CP) in order to establish feasibility of a future large-scale trial and estimate the preliminary impact of MAP. Functional improvement will be measured by reductions in pain interference (primary clinical outcome). Further, meditation adherence will be assessed to explore dose-response relationships with functional improvement, and objective measures of physical activity (actigraphy) will be captured to explore the psychophysical impact of MAP.

Due to its prevalence and impact on quality of life and overall health, the National Academy of Medicine has called chronic pain a "public health crisis." Therefore, this proposal is relevant to public health because it seeks to improve chronic pain treatment in accordance with the approach recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services National Pain Strategy: to develop and test Pain Self-Management interventions tailored to the needs of vulnerable populations, particularly people living with HIV (PLWH). Chronic pain is an important and understudied comorbidity among PLWH; therefore, this proposal is responsive to the NIH's HIV Research Priorities, which identify comorbidities as a high priority research topic.

The investigators propose to test a pilot study that teaches resilience skills to former football players who experience chronic pain. The purpose of this study is to see if learning resilience skills makes a difference in how former players manage chronic pain. This pilot study may advance methods to improve the well-being and quality of life of former players affected by pain.

The proposed study will fill several critical gaps in evidence that are preventing patients and physicians from making informed decisions about their pain care. This project will provide patients taking opioids and physicians with the specific evidence they need to choose the most effective route to pain control, reduced pain interference, opioid reduction, and improved role function, thereby improving patient care. The aims of this study are to (1) reduce or contain prescription opioid use while maintaining pain control and (2) compare the effectiveness of the Chronic Pain Self-Management Program (CPSMP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for chronic pain (pain-CBT), and no behavioral treatment within the context of patient-centered collaborative opioid tapering (Taper Only). The acronym EMPOWER stands for Effective Management of Pain and Opioid-Free Ways to Enhance Relief. To learn more about the EMPOWER study, please visit: empower.stanford.edu.

This pilot RCT will examine the preliminary efficacy of a telehealth version of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) enriched with a smartphone-based just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) for patients with chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy.