Pain Paid Clinical Trials in North Carolina

Pessaries are effective non-surgical devices for reduction of prolapse. However, use of pessaries are limited in some women due to patient discomfort. While lidocaine can be used to improve pessary checks, its use may be limited due to supply chain shortages, lack of insurance coverage, and optimization of resource utilization. More techniques to improve pessary examination comfort are needed. Perineal massage prior to delivery and at the time of active labor has been noted to reduce perineal trauma and perineal discomfort, theoretically by desensitizing the nerve endings in the skin, broadening the vaginal opening, and increasing elasticity of the perineal tissue. Since most discomfort with pessary checks is during removal and insertion through the vaginal introitus, perineal massage may be a beneficial technique that women could potentially learn to improve comfort with pessary checks. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of perineal massage prior to pessary check in improving comfort of pessary checks for patients using a cross-over randomized controlled trial. Patients who follow up for pessary checks with the division of Urogynecology at UNC will be approached about participating in this study. The study will involve two clinical visits. At the first visit, the patient will be randomized to 2 minutes of perineal massage with water based gel of the external perineum and sides of the vaginal vestibule, as well as internal massage with the thumb, gliding from 4 to 8 o'clock, then tissue stretching technique with one intracavitary finger and other external finger at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions three times; versus application of gel to the internal vagina and external vagina without massage. Providers will be blinded to randomization and proceed with pessary check as per normal clinical protocols. Patients will rate self-reported pain before, during pessary check, and after the pessary check on a VAS scale; and rate whether they would prefer to repeat this method at future visits via Likert scale. Healthcare professionals will also rate perceived patient pain on VAS scale; ease of pessary removal; and note any perineal or introital laceration or abrasion that may occur during the pessary fitting. At the following visit, patients will be assigned to the group to which they were not initially randomized. Patients and healthcare professionals will again rate pain as described above. Patients will also rank preference for perineal massage using PGI-I. Read Less

The REALITY study is a prospective, post-market, non-randomized, multi-center, single-arm, open-label study intended to collect short- and long-term safety and effectiveness data on various populations implanted with Abbott's neurostimulation systems. Read Less

The investigators will conduct a 12,500-patient randomized multi-center trial to determine (i) which general anesthesia technique yields superior patient recovery experiences in any of three surgical categories ((a) major inpatient surgery, (b) minor inpatient surgery, (c) outpatient surgery) and (ii) whether TIVA confers no more than a small (0.2 %) increased risk of intraoperative awareness than INVA in patients undergoing both outpatient and inpatient surgeries Read Less

The main goal of this clinical trial is to test benefits of completing online pain coping skills training program in women who have been diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer, who have completed their primary cancer treatment, who are taking an AI medication, and who have arthralgia. Arthralgia is a type of joint, bone, and muscle pain that is a common side effect of AI medications. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Whether online pain coping skills training reduces the severity of pain and the interference it causes in women's daily lives. 2. Whether online pain coping skills training improves emotional distress, quality of life, and adherence to AI medications. 3. Whether benefits of online pain coping skills training are at least partially caused by women's increased confidence that they can manage their pain and a reduction in unhelpful thinking patterns about pain. 4. Whether online pain coping skills training improves effects of AI medications on sleep problems and symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and night sweats. Participants can complete all parts of the study at home. They will: 1. Complete four sets of questionnaires throughout the study, which will take about 9 to 10 months. 2. Attend 3 meetings in the first month of the study, all of which can be held via a video conference. 3. Use an electronic pill bottle to track their use of their AI medication. 4. Be randomized (like flipping a coin) to one of two study arms: They will either receive education about AIs and arthralgia or they will receive this education along with access to an online pain coping skills training program. Research will compare the education group to the education plus online pain coping skills training group to see if online pain coping skills training has the benefits mentioned above. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to test whether researchers can reliably measure the response pupils have when an acute painful stimulus is experienced. Changes in the size of the pupil of the eye can be an indicator of brain activity in a region of the brain that is important for feeling pain. Read Less

The goal of this observational trial is to compare the health history and motion capabilities of participants with low back pain disorders to participants with healthy spines. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are to: 1. Primary outcomes of this research effort include the development of composite measures or digital biomarkers to track functional recovery over time and predict duty or work status outcomes (return-to-full duty/work, limited duty/work restrictions or medical discharge/long-term disability). 2. Secondary outcomes of this research effort include characterization of motion assessment utility to predict reinjury risk and evaluate intervention effectiveness. In addition, exploratively, the investigators will determine biopsychosocial profiles of low back pain, and neck pain military populations to identify low back and neck pain phenotypes. Participants will complete questionnaires and wear a motion monitor that will assess the participant's back and/or neck. This session will be approximately 40-70 minutes. The research team will follow up with participants at 3 month, 6 months, and 1 year to complete a short series of questionnaires and a motion assessment test. Read Less