Chronic Pain Clinical Trials

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how well two community-based self-management programs work in people with chronic back or neck pain from populations that have been minoritized based on race, ethnicity, or income. The main question it aims to answer is: How well does a community-based self-management program teaching mind-body skills such as mindfulness and cognitive behavioral approaches (Partners4Pain) work for reducing pain intensity and interference with general activities and enjoyment of life compared to a community-based self-management program focused on general health and wellbeing (Keys to Wellbeing)? Participants will be asked to do the following: * Attend 2 screening visits to learn about the study and see if they meet the requirements to participate. * Be randomly assigned to one of the two community-based self-management programs. * Attend 9 weekly self-management program sessions (90 minutes each) * Complete surveys about their pain and overall health at 2 months (after the programs end), 4 months, and 6 months. Funding for the project is provided through the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) through the NIH HEAL Initiative (https://heal.nih.gov/), R33AT012309. Read Less

This exploratory, proof-of-concept study is a double-blind (participants and investigators will be blinded), placebo-controlled, randomized, two-arm clinical trial of Marinol \[dronabinol, synthetic Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)\] for chronic low back pain (cLBP) with a 2:1 allocation ratio. Up to 75 subjects will be enrolled in this pilot study and randomized to receive doses of THC (up to 30 mg/day), orally, over 8 weeks. This study will be conducted at a single site; it does not include any stratifications, and there is no interim analysis planned. Notably, the goal is to determine whether there is enough evidence of the safety of THC to support the development of later-phase clinical trials. Thus, detailed developmental plans are contingent on the outcomes of this study. Read Less

The goal of this observational study is to learn how medical cannabis (MC) affects pain and the use of opioid pain medications. Participants who have chronic pain and use prescribed opioid pain medication will opt-in to using MC or not for the 3-month study. Participants who are certified in Pennsylvania will purchase specific medical cannabis products at a reduced cost from a partnering medical cannabis dispensary monthly. All participants will complete baseline, daily, and monthly assessments to observe changes across groups. Read Less

The objective of this within-subject study is to test the effects of Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) and Low-intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU) interventions on the pain of subjects who have chronic pain and alcohol use disorder(s). Read Less

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an effective first-line, evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite its well-demonstrated effectiveness, research has shown that approximately two-thirds of individuals continue to meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD even after successful treatment completion. Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment, involving a local anesthesia injection to the stellate ganglion (around the lower base of the neck), has been shown to block its pain signal transmissions. Prior case studies and reviews have provided evidence for reducing PTSD symptoms with SGB treatment. However, studies to date have only examined SGB as a standalone intervention. The utility of combining CPT with concurrent SGB treatment remains unknown, although it is plausible that the combination of the two treatments can improve the effectiveness of CPT alone. The present study aims to test this hypothesis by comparing either a combined 1-week massed CPT + SGB treatment and 1-week massed CPT + placebo treatment (saline injection) using a randomized controlled trial design. Read Less

This is a multicenter prospective study of patients who currently have stably implanted spinal cord simulators. Patients will be randomly assigned to turn on or off their spinal cord stimulators for two week intervals up to six weeks after enrollment, and on the final day of study participation, for one hour intervals, in a multi-crossover design. In a subset of patients we will also perform combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging at baseline, week 2 and week 4. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether adult stem cells, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) collected from the patient's bone marrow can help reduce pain caused by chronic pancreatitis and improve pancreatic function. Read Less

The goal of this randomized pilot trial is to test a chronic pain self-management program customized for people living with both chronic pain and cognitive impairment. The main questions it aims to answer are whether this program is feasible and acceptable, and whether it shows potential for improving pain-related outcomes. Intervention group participants will receive education and support from a community health worker in 7 weekly telephone sessions, and will watch a series of educational videos discussing a variety of chronic pain self-management skills. A control group will not receive the program, but after the final data collection point will be invited to attend a one-time remote session that summarizes intervention content, and will receive all program materials. Researchers will compare intervention and control groups after the program ends to see if the intervention group has less pain interference with daily activities. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of the dissemination of a cognitive-behavioral eHealth application (app) for pain self-management with Black and LGBTQ+ adults with high-impact chronic pain lasting at least 3 months and disrupting daily functioning (Implementation aim). Read Less

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn whether vitamin D is able to prevent chronic pain following burn injury and to determine what biological mechanisms are engaged by Vitamin D following burn injury. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * Is the clinical trial protocol feasible? * Is Vitamin D administration following burn injury safe? * How does vitamin D cause changes in the immune system in the aftermath of burn injury? Following informed consent, participants will be asked to: * Take 6 capsules by mouth one time following burn injury (Vitamin D or Placebo) * Provide a blood sample at baseline and 6 weeks following injury * Fill out surveys daily while in the hospital, weekly through 6 weeks, and at 3 months and 6 months. Researchers will compare Vitamin D and placebo groups to see if there are differences in adverse effects (side effects), chronic pain, and profiles of immune cells from collected blood samples. Read Less

This study proposes a three-arm randomized-controlled trial (RCT) that evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of combining a mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) and open-label placebo (OLP) treatment for individuals with chronic pain. Individuals with chronic pain will be recruited to participate in an 8-week trial, with a subsequent 3-month post-treatment follow-up. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following three conditions: 1. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 2. OLP treatment 3. combination of MBSR and OLP treatment Read Less

During the typical SCS trial the leads remain outside of the skin and can be prone to migration. The leads are typically secured in place with suture, tape, or a combination of both. This study will evaluate the amount of movement based on the method of being secured at the time of placement Read Less