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NCT Number: NCT07602595

The BRIDGE Pain Study

The purpose of the study is to discover at least two distinct Musculoskeletal pain subtypes. These types are caused by different brain-and-immune system signals that affect how the body feels pain, and they are also shaped by a person's biology, psychology, and social environment.

Aim 1. We want to sort adolescents and young adults with long lasting muscle and bone pain into two different groups. To do this, we will look at participants' childhood medical histories, past treatments, when their pain started, the sex they were assigned at birth, what their pain feels like now, tests of how their body senses pain, and immune system markers found in their blood. We think we will find at least two different types of chronic pain groups, plus one group of patients who had a higher risk for pain (because of a rheumatic disease or past surgery) but never developed long term pain.

Aim 2. We want to find out if certain patterns of inflammation in the body change how nerve cells react to pain.

Aim 3: We want to understand how different biological, psychological, and social factors are connected to the chronic pain groups we identified. We think we will find certain mental, behavioral, and social risks-as well as protective factors-that help explain why some people develop long-lasting pain and others do not. We expect these factors to play different roles in each pain group, including the group that does not develop chronic pain.

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Key information

Conditions

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) Arthritis Arthritis, Juvenile Autoimmune Diseases Bone Diseases Bone Diseases, Developmental Chronic Pain Congenital Abnormalities Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Connective Tissue Diseases Fibromyalgia Funnel Chest Immune System Diseases Joint Diseases Lupus Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Abnormalities Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal Pain Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Diseases Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pectus Excavatum Rheumatic Diseases Scoliosis Signs and Symptoms Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases Spinal Curvatures Spinal Diseases

Age range

14 year–26 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Megan Kirschman

CONTACT

[email protected]

5136361846

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of rheumatic/autoimmune disease/pain condition or surgery prior to age 18; Current age 14 to 26 years; Participant (and parent/legal guardian of participants < 18 yo) can read and write in English; At least 1 year from diagnosis of pain or rheumatic disease; For individuals with MSK surgical history, at least 1 year after initial surgical intervention; For individuals with rheumatic disease, their disease must be considered inactive

Exclusion criteria

  • They have active disease, or Other major medical comorbidities have developed after surgery following MSK surgical intervention.

Treatment and study plan

Not applicable- observational study

Other

This is an observational study. No intervention is present.

Primary outcomes

  1. Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) Profile (Pressure)

    Time frame: Baseline

    CPM is defined by the change in pressure thresholds (increase) before and during cold immersion. Pressure thresholds will be measured using an algometer.

  2. Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) Profile (Heat)

    Time frame: Baseline

    CPM is defined by the change in heat pain intensity (decrease) before and during cold immersion. Heat stimuli will be delivered by a thermode and pain intensity measured by participant self report on the visual analog scale.

  3. Temporal Summation (TS) Profile

    Time frame: Baseline

    TS is defined by the change in mechanical pain intensity (increase) after exposure to a series of pinprick stimuli. Pain intensity will be measured by participant self report on the visual analog scale.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Megan Kirschman

CONTACT

[email protected]

5136361846

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Registry information

Official study title

Biopsychosocial Risk Influences on the Development and Generation of Early-Onset Chronic Pain

Acronym: BRIDGE

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
May 22, 2026
Registry last updated
May 22, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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