Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for People With Persistent Pain Following Orthopedic Trauma

Launched by JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · Aug 3, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a type of therapy called Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) for people who experience ongoing pain after having orthopedic injuries, such as broken bones or severe joint damage. The goal of the study is to see if this therapy can help individuals better manage their pain and improve their emotional well-being. Participants will attend weekly therapy sessions and will complete questionnaires and pain assessments before, after, and during follow-up to track their progress.

To be eligible for the trial, participants must be 18 years or older and have experienced a significant orthopedic injury, such as fractures or traumatic amputations, that has resulted in persistent pain for at least three months. Those who are currently pregnant, have certain severe injuries or conditions, or are unable to attend follow-up appointments may not be eligible. If you join the study, you will have the chance to try a new approach to dealing with your pain and emotions, and your experiences will help researchers understand how effective this therapy can be for others in similar situations.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • One or more acute orthopedic injuries
• * The patient sustained an orthopedic injury including, but not limited to:
• • Pelvic or acetabulum fracture
• • Open/displaced comminuted fracture of long bones
• • Upper extremity injuries with a major nerve involvement
• • Injuries with significant injuries to major blood vessels
• • Traumatic amputation of big toe, thumb, or proximal to the wrist or ankle.
• • Initial admission to the trauma or orthopedic center/service of the participating hospital OR all necessary screening and patient characteristic data available in medical record (determination based on information available at time of enrollment)
• • 18 years old or older
• • Received operative fixation for at least one acute orthopaedic injury at a participating hospital. Patients should be recruited at the time of primary injury, not revision or complication surgery
• • Average Brief Pain Inventory Score \> 3/10
• • Presence of pain most days (\> 3 days/week) for past three months
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • peri-prosthetic fractures of the femur (regardless of etiology)
• • non-ambulatory due to an associated spinal cord injury
• • non-ambulatory pre-injury
• • currently pregnant
• • moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), as evidenced by intracranial hemorrhage present on admission CT
• • major amputation(s) of the upper or lower extremities
• • non-English speaking
• * Likely to have severe problems with maintaining follow-up for any of the following reasons:
• • The patient has been diagnosed with a severe psychiatric conditions
• • The patient has current alcohol and/or drug addiction based on medical record or patient self-report.
• • The patient is intellectually challenged without adequate family support
• • The patient lives outside the hospital's catchment area
• • The patient follow-up is planned at another medical center
• • The patient is a prisoner
• • The patient is homeless
• • Other