Pain Paid Clinical Trials in California

Chronic pain is a major health concern for returning Veterans and is associated with decreases in quality of life. In addition, chronic pain is often accompanied by significant disturbance in sleep. Sensory interventions may offer effective, low-cost complementary tools for chronic pain and sleep disturbance in Veterans. Weighted Blankets (WB)- blankets sewn with weighted material inside to provide widespread pressure to the body- are a low-cost wellness product used for anxiety and sleep. WBs have demonstrated large reductions in insomnia, and the investigators have also shown that they can reduce the severity of chronic pain. However, effects and mechanisms of longer WB use have not been examined in individuals with pain and sleep disturbance. The investigators therefore propose a randomized controlled trial examining the effects of WBs on pain and sleep quality in Veterans. the investigators will recruit Veterans with chronic pain and sleep disturbance from the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) and VA San Francisco Healthcare System (VASFHS) and randomize 160 Veterans to receive either a light (3-lb; N = 80) or heavy (15-lb; N = 80) blanket. The investigators will remotely collect measures of pain (primary), pain catastrophizing, and pain medication use, as well as sleep disturbance (primary) and sleep efficiency and total sleep time over 6 weeks of overnight home use of the assigned blanket. The investigators will also explore physiological effects of WBs on sleep quality using actigraphy (exploratory) in VASDHS participants. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods will be deployed via smartphone to capture study adherence. Read Less

The aim of the current study is to assess the efficacy of TMS in the treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). It is hypothesized that participants who receive TMS (Group 1) relative to sham treatment (Group 2) once daily for two days will demonstrate a greater improvement in CRPS-related pain and other associated symptomology (i.e., cognitive, emotional and physical) compared to baseline. Participants will be followed until they reach their baseline for two consecutive weeks to assess safety and duration of symptom alleviation. Read Less

Pain management in pediatric patients presents a difficult challenge. Unlike adults, pediatric patients often cannot communicate their pain management needs clearly. This is especially true in patients with cerebral palsy (CP), who often have concomitant developmental delay, intellectual disability and verbal limitations. Current literature indicates pain as a common experience for children with CP but has been understudied in this population. Moreover, inadequate post-operative pain control can result in negative physiologic and psychological complications and lead to poor surgical outcomes. Currently, perioperative pain management following orthopaedic procedures in pediatric patients follows traditional protocols that rely on the administration of opioid medications despite their known adverse side effects including nausea, vomiting, itching, constipation, urinary retention, confusion, and respiratory depression. Epidural anesthesia is a key modality in traditional pain management for pediatric patients with CP given its proven efficacy in decreasing pain and managing spasticity. Yet, administering epidural anesthesia in this patient population poses several risks including damage to preexisting intrathecal baclofen pumps, iatrogenic infection, and technically demanding insertion given high rates of concomitant neuromuscular scoliosis. Alternatively, multimodal analgesic injections theoretically offer an efficacious adjunct to traditional pain management protocols with a lower risk profile. Preliminary data from our study group's pilot randomized control trial comparing the safety and efficacy of a multimodal surgical site injection to placebo showed decreased pain scores and narcotic consumption postoperatively in this patient population. Based on these promising results, the objective of this randomized control trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a multimodal surgical site injection compared to epidural anesthesia for postoperative pain control following operative management of hip dysplasia in pediatric patients with CP. Read Less

The aim of this trial is to determine the potential effects and mechanisms of cannabinoid-induced pain relief in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Multiple psychophysical approaches will be conducted in conjunction with psychological and inflammatory marker testing to determine if and how cannabinoids produce stabilized improvement in CRPS-related pain and comorbidities. The trial consisted of a pre-treatment screening period, six-week treatment period and a two-week follow-up. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to assess the use of virtual reality (VR) as an adjunct or alternative to pharmacologic sedation in pediatric patients undergoing renal biopsy. Read Less

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a debilitating condition and costly to treat. Long-term drug treatment often fails due to habituation, breakthrough of pain, or adverse effects of drug treatment. Opioid use to manage this pain has contributed to the opioid epidemic. Spinal cord stimulators have emerged as a promising treatment and reduces reliance on drugs. However, response to spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is unpredictable. It is difficult to predict which patients will respond positively to SCS because the physiological mechanism for treatment responsiveness is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how spinal cord stimulators affect functional measures in patients with CLBP, including functional MRI, neurophysiology, gait analysis, and questionnaires. The results of this study can lead to the widespread adoption of spinal cord stimulators as a safe and effective therapy for CLBP, reducing the reliance on opioids and mitigating the opioid epidemic's impact. Read Less

Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common, chronic, and debilitating condition in women. Preliminary evidence suggests that IC/BPS pain can be reduced applying non-invasive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to areas of the brain that regulate pelvic floor muscle activity. However, prior studies have examined rTMS in a very limited sample and have not examined changes in brain or pelvic floor muscle activity to determine the mechanism of rTMS for IC/BPS. This study is designed to directly address these limitations. Read Less

The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of cannabis on the analgesic and abuse-related effects between men and women Read Less

Patients with chronic pain who use opioids appear to be at increased risk for breathing issues during sleep, termed sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Treatment of SDB often consists of use of a device during sleep that provides continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) via a mask interface. However, this device is not effective or tolerated in all individuals. The goal of this study is to examine whether a medication called acetazolamide can improve SDB, as an alternative to CPAP treatment. The investigators will measure the improvement in SDB, as well as any change in symptoms, during a 1 week treatment with acetazolamide compared with 1 week of placebo (sugar pill). This study will help to provide data for longer term studies of treatment for SDB in patients who use opioids. Read Less

Exparel has a proven efficacy in providing pain relief for up to 72 hours with a single-dose administration at surgical sites. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopically-guided injection of Exparel (Bupivacaine) for the treatment of craniofacial pain. This study would be conducted in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo- controlled, and cross-over fashion. We aim to investigate whether the administration of Exparel (Bupivacaine) to the lateral nasal wall may positively impact craniofacial pain and functional outcomes, in patients who experience relief with the topical application of Lidocaine (routinely given prior to almost all ENT endoscopy). Read Less

The suprazygomatic maxillary nerve (SZMN) block is a well-established, safe and effective regional technique for pain management following cleft palate procedures. However, it has not been studied for patients undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) procedures. The goal of this study is to determine whether the SZMN block can be utilized to improve pain control and decrease morbidity in pediatric patients undergoing T&A. An additional goal will be to determine whether the use of dexmedetomidine as a local anesthetic adjunct can prolong the analgesic effects of the SZMN block to cover the entire duration of pain experienced. Read Less

This is a Pilot Study that is an open label, prospective, non-controlled study in which the safety and feasibility of Wharton's Jelly (WJ) allograft will be evaluated in 100 participants suffering with low back pain. Read Less