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Gut check: could your microbiome influence chronic pain?
NCT ID NCT03612193
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether the bacteria in your gut are linked to the severity and recovery of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a chronic pain condition. Researchers will compare gut microbiome samples from people with CRPS and their household members. They also aim to predict which newly diagnosed patients are more likely to recover. This is an observational study, meaning no treatment is given—just observation and analysis.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward new ways to predict recovery or develop treatments for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome by targeting the gut microbiome.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early observational study, not a treatment trial. It may find no clear link between gut bacteria and CRPS, or results may not lead to practical therapies.
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.
- Participants
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About 140 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2018
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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.
Who is studied
Pain Management Center at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital medical campus
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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.
Study A: Cross-sectional study Inclusion criteria, cases: * Adults over the age of 18 * Current (\< 1 year duration) or former (\> 1 year) diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome by the Budapest criteria * English as primary language * able to consent Inclusion criteria, controls * Adults over age of 18 * Cohabitant of person with current or former diagnosis of CRPS Study B: Longitudinal Study Inclusion criteria, cases: * Adults over the age of 18 * Recent diagnosis (\<6 months) of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome by the Budapest criteria * English as primary language * able to consent Inclusion criteria, controls * Adults over age of 18 * Cohabitant of person with diagnosis of CRPS Study A and B: Exclusion criteria, cases and controls: * Unwilling to participate in the study * Lives alone * Current use of probiotics and unwilling to stop for 1 week prior to stool sample * Pregnant or lactating * Vegan diet
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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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Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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