Laterality Training and Pain Drawings

Launched by HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY · Jul 12, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring whether a type of brain-based therapy called laterality training can help reduce pain in adults who have had shoulder or knee pain for more than six months. Laterality training involves using a tablet app to quickly identify pictures of left or right hands and feet, which may help change how the brain processes pain. The study wants to see if this training can lower the amount of pain people feel, reduce the size of the painful area they mark on drawings, and improve how quickly and accurately they can tell left from right.

Adults aged 18 and older with ongoing shoulder or knee pain lasting at least six months may be eligible to join. Participants will take part in a single 30-45 minute visit at a physical therapy clinic. During this visit, they will first rate their pain, complete pain drawings, and do a simple left/right judgment test. Then, they will be randomly assigned to either the laterality training group or a control group that does a crossword puzzle. Afterward, they will repeat the same assessments. The study is voluntary, free to join, and all personal information will be kept private. This research aims to find out if laterality training could be a helpful, non-invasive way to ease chronic pain and improve quality of life.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged 18 years or older
• • Diagnosis of chronic shoulder or knee pain lasting more than 6 months
• • Able to read and understand English
• • Willing to provide written informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Visual impairments that would interfere with laterality training (e.g., blindness or significant difficulty with vision)
• • Previous participation in laterality (left/right discrimination) training
• • Unwilling or unable to participate in the study procedures