Institute for Pain Research & Care Fellowships Shirin Modarresi, MSc, MPT, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Project Title: Pain CareYoga for People with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Feasibility and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Carlesso
Brief Overview and Progress to Date Osteoarthritis (OA), of which the knee is the most affected joint, is the leading cause of pain and disability in older adults, affecting more than 500 million people worldwide and significantly contributing to healthcare costs. Despite its high prevalence and widespread impact, no disease-modifying drugs are currently available, and the efficacy of the current available treatment options in alleviating pain remains limited. This project aims to address this gap in knowledge by introducing a program which we refer to as Pain Informed Movement. This unique intervention combines mind-body techniques with neuromuscular exercise and pain neuroscience education (PNE) and aims to improve endogenous pain modulation in people with knee OA. In this project we investigate the impact of the Pain Informed Movement program on pain intensity and pain modulation, which includes physical testing, questionnaires, and blood analysis of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factors and Nerve Growth Factors. We have successfully completed the feasibility phase of the study and the results are accepted for publication
“This project will lay the foundation to inform a larger multi-site RCT to assess the effectiveness of the Pain Informed Movement program and provide an understanding its underlying mechanisms. The larger RCT will contribute to the clinical recommendations for management of knee OA pain for clinicians across multiple sectors.” - Dr. Shirin Modarresi
at the Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open journal. Furthermore, the protocol for the next phase of the study, a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing Pain Informed Movement to standard treatment (strengthening exercises and OA education), is also accepted for publication at the same journal. The pilot RCT is currently underway, and we anticipate completing this phase by May 2024, after which the results will be ready for publication.
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