Veterans test 18-Month exercise plan to fight pain and depression
NCT ID NCT05094297
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a focused muscle contraction exercise program called the GH Method can improve body composition, physical abilities, and overall well-being in U.S. veterans. Twenty-five veterans with pain, fatigue, or low energy will do 90 exercise sessions over 18 months. Researchers will measure changes in muscle mass, strength, and symptoms like depression and PTSD.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- exercise program (GH Method)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to ease chronic pain, fatigue, and depression in veterans.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study with only 25 participants and no comparison group, so results may not apply broadly. The 90-session commitment may also be hard for many to complete.
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 25 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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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18 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: * U.S. Veterans * Eligible subjects must be patients at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and suffer from pain, fatigue, low energy levels or are unable to physically do things they were once able to do. * Subjects need to complete the PAR-Q with an acceptable score and/or must have written physician clearance. * 18 years of age and older Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to travel to the training center * Unable to give consent * Unable to understand the study * Unable to comply with the training program
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
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 Illinois at Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
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