Mirror Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain

Purpose: This study, conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), will explore the phenomenon of phantom limb pain and will use fMRI to investigate the effect of mirror therapy on phantom limb pain.

Patients: Right-handed people between 18 and 75 years of age who are in the WRAMC Military Amputee Research Program and healthy control subjects may be eligible.

Sponsor: NIH

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00623818

Regional Anesthesia Military Battlefield Pain Outcome Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the short and long-term benefits of implementing early regional anesthesia techniques for pain control after a major traumatic injury to one or more extremities during combat in the Iraqi/Afghanistan war, including the effects on acute and chronic pain, quality of life, and mental health.

Sponsor: VA

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00431847

A Comparison of Pregabalin (Lyrica®) to Placebo in Pain Relief After Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) Surgery

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of pregabalin to placebo for postoperative pain control after photorefractive keratectomy.

Patients: Study subjects will be taken from a standard group of typical candidates for PRK surgery including active duty and DoD beneficiaries. Prior to being approached for the study, all patients will have had a previous desire for surgery and had a pre-operative evaluation indicating healthy ocular status.

Study Start: March 2010

Estimated Study Completion: July 2010

Estimated Primary Completion: May 2010

Principal Investigator: Julie M Meek, PharmD, Wilford Hall Medical Center

Sponsor: Wilford Hall Medical Center

Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT01097577

Low-Dose Opiate Therapy for Discomfort in Dementia (L-DOT)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether a low dose opiate pain medication is effective for the treatment of discomfort in patients with advanced dementia. The study medication is also known as Lortab® and contains both a narcotic pain medication and the same pain medication as contained in Tyleno®. The study will also assess how well patients tolerate this medication and will measure the impact that relief of discomfort has on agitation and other symptoms. This study is an eight-week long clinical trial for discomfort among veterans with advanced dementia who are admitted to the Nursing Home Care Unit (NHCU) at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

Principal Investigator: A Lynn Snow, PhD MS BS, VA Medical Center, Tuscaloosa

Sponsor: VA

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00385684

Integrated Treatment for Chronic Pain and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of an integrated treatment for veterans with comorbid chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder. It is hypothesized that veterans who receive the integrated treatment will report more positive outcomes than individuals who are assigned to treatment as usual, pain treatment, or PTSD treatment.

Principal Investigator: John Otis, BS BA PhD, VA Boston Health Care System, Jamaica Plain

Sponsor: VA

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00127413

Evaluation of Stepped Care for Chronic Pain in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (ESCAPE)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if a stepped-care intervention makes pain symptoms better and reduces activity limitations because of pain. Our two primary hypotheses are that in OIF/OEF veterans with chronic pain:

1. Stepped care is more effective than usual care in reducing pain-related disability
2. Stepped care is more effective than usual care in reducing psychological distress

Study Start: December 2007

Estimated Study Completion: July 2010

Primary Completion Date: March 2010

Principal Investigator: Matthew J Blair, MD, MS, Richard Rodebush VA Medical Center

Sponsor: VA

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00386243

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