Chronic Low Back Pain and Depression Study

STUDY BASICS

Do you suffer from chronic low back pain and depression or anxiety, and are between the ages of 21-65? You may be able to participate in a research study to help better understand how to treat these conditions when they occur together. Compensation provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

Chronic low back pain is one of the most common and disabling chronic conditions, affecting an estimated 50 million Americans. People who suffer from chronic low back pain also frequently struggle with depression and anxiety. While there are effective treatments for the mood disorders associated with chronic low back pain, they do not work for everyone. The purpose of this study is to help researchers better understand how to successfully treat anxiety and depression in patients with chronic low back pain.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Ages 21-65
• Suffering from chronic back pain for at least one year
• Also have depression or anxiety symptoms
• Willing and able to have MRI scans
• Have a mobile device or tablet that has internet access and text messaging capabilities

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Study participation lasts four months. For all participants, the study involves six 2-hour visits to the UPMC Pain Medicine Clinic at Centre Commons, two 2-hour MRI scans at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, online surveys, phone calls, and text messages. In addition to the visits noted above, participants in this study will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to one of two groups:

• The “treatment group” will be prescribed antidepressant medication, and will also receive 8 weeks of physical therapy sessions.
• The “education group” will receive 8 counseling sessions. People in this group who complete the study will have the option to be re-assigned to the antidepressant group and start the study activities again.