New psychotherapy may ease chronic pain in veterans
NCT ID NCT07137715
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a newer therapy called Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) works better than standard Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or usual care for veterans with chronic back or neck pain. About 360 veterans will be randomly assigned to one of three groups and complete questionnaires about their pain and health. Those in the PRT or CBT groups will have nine weekly video therapy sessions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- What this could lead to
- If PRT works better than CBT or usual care, it could offer veterans a new, effective way to manage chronic back or neck pain without medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-sized trial comparing talk therapies, not a cure. Results may not apply to all pain types, and benefits may vary from person to person.
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 360 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2028
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: * Adults (18 and older) * Be veterans * Have a history of chronic back or neck pain defined as pain at least half the days of the last 6 months. * Have moderate or greater pain, defined as pain intensity ≥4 in the past week Exclusion Criteria: Clinical presentation suggestive of back pain that is secondary or peripheral in nature, including self-reported leg pain that is worse than back pain (indicative of radiculopathy or sciatica), spine surgery within the past 6 months, fall, motor vehicle accident or other trauma related to back pain in the past 6 months, back pain due to an inflammatory disorder, infection, or malignant etiology as determined per medical provider review, known sensory abnormality in trunk or legs, recent large (\>20 lbs) unexplained weight loss, difficulty controlling bowels (to screen out cauda equina syndrome), and self-reported diagnoses of specific inflammatory disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, scleroderma, Lupus, and polymyositis). Additionally, patients who meet any of the following criteria are ineligible due to anticipated difficulties complying with study procedures: * Moderate or severe cognitive impairment * Unstable or severe untreated mental health condition, including active suicidal ideation * Unstable or end-stage medical disease including active cancer * Back surgery planned within the next 6 months * Inability to communicate by telephone or video, including inability due to housing instability * Current pain-related litigation outside the VA (service connection-related applications are not excluded) * Having engaged in CBT or PRT for chronic pain in the past 6 months * Participants may be excluded based on the discretion of PIs Ashar and Frank
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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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VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
RECRUITINGAurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
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