Can six sessions ease Veterans' chronic pain?

NCT ID NCT04724694

Completed Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether a brief cognitive behavioral therapy program (six 30-minute sessions) can help veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain improve their daily functioning and reduce pain-related distress. 184 veterans from primary care clinics took part, with some receiving the therapy plus usual care and others only usual care. The goal is to see if this short, practical approach can be widely used in VA primary care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (Brief CBT-CP)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a practical, short-term therapy option for veterans with chronic pain that can be delivered in primary care settings.
What could go wrong: This is a completed trial with 184 participants, so results are available but may not apply to all pain types or non-veterans. The therapy is brief and may not help everyone.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Chronic Pain Musculoskeletal Pain Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN PAIN

Contacts and locations

Locations

VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY

Buffalo, New York, 14215-1129, United States

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