Active clinical trials for "Chronic Pain"

Post-mastectomy pain due to nerve injury leads to long-term opioid use and diminished quality-of-life. The investigators on this study will evaluate the regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI), a novel surgical approach to neuroma treatment, to improve patient-reported post-mastectomy pain and definitively treat intercostal neuromas after mastectomy.

The prevalence of Chronic Post-Surgical Pain (CPSP) after knee replacement, defined as pain greater than or equal to 4/10 on the visual analogue scale after the third postoperative month, is recognised as high, with an average of 20% (extremes of 7 to 45%). These CPSP, when present, cause poor long-term joint functional prognosis and impaired quality of life for patients. Many predictive, pre-, per- and post-operative factors of these CPSP have been identified in recent years. The most common postoperative risk factor found in the literature is the intensity of early pain. The treatment protocols for this early post-surgical pain are currently and mainly multimodal in nature, combining systemic analgesics (paracetamol, NSAIDs, morphine, gabapentins) and local anaesthetics, administered either in the form of peripheral nerve blocks (continuous or single injection) or in the form of tissue infiltration (TI) performed by the surgeon during the operation. Very few of these techniques have been evaluated for their ability to reduce the incidence of CPSP. Drugs with antihyperalgesic properties such as ketamine or nefopam have been shown to be of no interest, except to reduce the proportion of pain of a neuropathic nature. Only the continuous femoral block has shown, to date, an interest in IT to reduce the incidence of these CPSP. The main objective of this study is to show that a multimodal analgesia protocol based on continuous locoregional analgesia by femoral triangle catheterization could reduce the incidence of chronic post surgical pain compared to a protocol based on tissue infiltration.

In 230 patients undergoing mastectomy, the investigators will compare opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) versus conventional opioid-based anesthesia in terms of chronic pain. The enrolled patients will be randomly assigned into two groups with 1:1 ratio. Chronic pain will be evaluated at 1 year after mastectomy based on the Breast Cancer Pain Questionnaire (BCPQ). Baseline pain sensitivity test and psychologic evaluation will be done before operation.

Several studies have implicated involvement of sigma-1 receptors (SR1s) in the generation of chronic pain, while others are investigating anti SR1 drugs for treatment of chronic pain. Using [18F]-FTC-146 and positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), the investigators hope to identify the source of pain generation in patients with chronic pain. The purpose of this study is to compare the uptake of [18F]FTC-146 in healthy volunteers to that of individuals suffering from chronic pain.

Dual medication (guanfacine and morphine) as a standard treatment for chronic pain.

This two-part study seeks to improve symptoms such as pain and sleep problems after concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Study I evaluates symptoms of mTBI through a series of 10 office sessions in which musical tones are echoed, or mirrored back in real time, to reflect one's own brain activity. Those who take part in the study will be randomly assigned to receive either tones that are based on their brain activity/brainwaves, or random tones. Study II evaluates symptoms of mTBI through either 10 office sessions of the same acoustic stimulation linked to brain activity/brainwaves as Study I compared to 5 office sessions of acoustic stimulation plus intermittent very low level electrical stimulation of the scalp linked to brain activity.

The public health relevance of this proposed project is substantial given the current opioid abuse epidemic as identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This study finalizes and tests a new psychotherapy treatment that is designed to treat chronic pain and opioid addiction at the same time in a format that could be easily used in a community addiction treatment setting. Final products of the study will yield an integrated STOP (Self-regulation/Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) Therapy for Opioid addiction and Pain) manual guided protocol, patient workbook, and therapist training protocol.

Abdominal pain in chronic pancreatitis (CP) affects up to 90% of patients during the course of their disease, and response to currently available therapies is suboptimal and unpredictable. The proposed clinical trial will evaluate the predictive capability of Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST) - a novel assessment of neurosensory phenotyping- for improvement in pain in patients with CP who are undergoing medically-indicated invasive treatment with endoscopic therapy or surgery.

Reducing the incidence of chronic post-surgical pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is paramount. NOPAIN, a technology-enhanced Acceptance and Commitment-based treatment, will be developed, tested and improved for this purpose. The feasibility of NOPAIN will be evaluated in a small sample of patients listed for TKA at the IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano. Potential pre-surgical and post-surgical predictors of non-response to treatment will be measured and tested using a machine learning algorithm. The results of this study will be employed to improve the content of NOPAIN or for identification of criteria for patient selection. Finally, a randomized controlled clinical trial will be performed. Patients listed for TKA will be randomized to Treatment As Usual (TAU) or to NOPAIN+TAU. Primary outcome will be time to complete pain relief, secondary outcomes will include subjective and objective measurements of quality of life and functional recovery.

This project examines the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation on pain. The investigators believe this study will help to better understand possible treatments for chronic pain patients. Participants undergo structural imaging, a functional Magnetic Resonance Image (fMRI) and computed tomography (CT). These images are used to align the low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) device which uses sound waves to temporarily change brain activity. Pain testing is done using a small device that will increase/decrease the temperature of the skin. Brain signals are collected using electroencephalography (EEG). Heart rate, blood pressure, and skin moisture will be monitored as well.