Personalized pain relief: algorithm aims to match treatments to patients
NCT ID NCT07731750
First seen Jul 28, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a computer algorithm can predict which treatment—such as physical therapy or exercise—will work best for a person with chronic low-back pain. Researchers collect information on symptoms, health history, and lifestyle to create a personalized treatment plan. The goal is to see if algorithm-guided choices lead to better pain relief and daily function than standard approaches.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- an algorithm that ranks treatments based on personal pain characteristics, plus physical therapy and exercise
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could make pain treatment more personalized and effective, reducing guesswork for patients and doctors.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study testing a decision-making tool, not a new treatment itself. The algorithm may not improve outcomes, and results may not apply to all pain types.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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25 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must meet the definition of Chronic Low Back Pain (cLBP) described in the NIH Task Force Report on Research Standards for cLBP, i.e., low back pain present at least six months, and present more than half of those days.2 * Individuals must have a pain interference score of ≥60 on PROMIS Pain Interference. The normal population mean for pain interference is 50. Participants must be 1 standard deviation (SD) above the population mean (\>=60) for inclusion. * Individuals must be willing and eligible to receive at least three of the four proposed interventions. * Able to stand for at least 10 minutes Exclusion Criteria: * Red flags suggesting the presence of an identifiable cause of low back pain, including fever, weight loss, initiation of pain following major trauma, immunosuppression, IV drug use, recent bacterial infection, severe or persistent sensory or motor involvement of bowel, bladder, or lower extremity. * Unable to read, write of speak fluent English * Visual or hearing difficulties that would preclude participation * Active uncontrolled drug/alcohol addiction * Individuals receiving new disability or compensation or involved in litigation in the past 12 months. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Individuals on high doses of opioids (over 100 Oral Morphine Equivalents \[OME\] per day). * Upcoming scheduled back surgery, back surgery within the last year, or more than one back surgery in the past. * History of discitis osteomyelitis (spine infection) or spine tumor * History of an autoimmune disorder such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, psoriatic arthritis, or lupus * History of cauda equina syndrome or spinal radiculopathy * Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective diagnosis * Diagnosis of any vertebral fracture in the last 6 months * Osteoporosis requiring treatment (vitamin D and calcium supplements are acceptable) * Cancer * History of any bone-related cancer or cancer that metastasized to the bone * Currently in treatment for cancer or plan to start cancer treatment in the next 12 months * History of any cancer treatment in the last 24 months * Life expectancy is less than 2 years * Current/planned (in the next 2 years) enrollment in another study of a device or investigational drug that would interfere with this study, this may include participation in a blinded trial. * Any other diseases or conditions that would make a patient unsuitable for study participation as determined by the site principal investigators. This would include but not be limited to severe psychiatric disorders, active suicidal ideations or recent suicide attempts
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
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