Preventing the Development of Chronic Pain: Treating PTSD at Acute Pain Onset

NCT05700279 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 345

Last updated 2025-10-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Although most people recover from acute pain (such as pain caused by injury, surgery, repetitive motion, or unknown causes), many people do not fully recover and will experience chronic pain. Untreated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appears to be a key risk factor for the transition from acute pain to chronic pain. However, few published studies have addressed the issue of preventing the transition from acute to chronic pain via PTSD reduction. This project will aim to test whether trauma-related PTSD symptoms can be reduced using either Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment or Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and whether reducing PTSD symptoms can prevent the transition from non-injury based acute pain to chronic pain.

Conditions

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Stellate Ganglion Block

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) procedure involves an injection of a local anesthetic (0.5% ropivacaine) around the stellate ganglion (a bundle of nerves located at the base of the neck) to block the transmission of pain signals. The SGB injection is administered by an anesthesiologist.

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a form of trauma-based talk therapy that will be conducted by clinical therapists. CPT can help people identify and challenge unhelpful trauma-related beliefs about themselves, others, and the world.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • United States Department of Defense

    collaborator FED
  • Rush University Medical Center

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • John W Burns, PhD · Rush University Medical Center

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
70 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-09-01
Primary Completion
2027-02-01
Completion
2027-02-01

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05700279 on ClinicalTrials.gov