NCT06535633 Community-based Exercise for Older Adults With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
| NCT ID | NCT06535633 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | University of Limerick |
| Condition | Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 72 participants |
| Start Date | 2024-09-01 |
| Primary Completion | 2025-07-01 |
Eligibility & Interventions
Eligibility Fast-Check
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What to Expect as a Participant
You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.
This trial targets 72 participants in total. It began in 2024-09-01 with a primary completion date of 2025-07-01.
⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Brief Summary
Chronic pain management services in Ireland are severely under-resourced. There is a key opportunity for community-based exercise to address some of the needs of people early in their chronic pain journey and potentially prevent or reduce their needs for secondary healthcare support, reducing the burden on healthcare waiting lists. Musculoskeletal pain is a significant barrier to participation in physical activity for these older adults, and at present, community-based exercise trainers do not have any education or resources to help support people with chronic pain to sustain their participation in physical activity programmes. Healthcare professionals who hold negative beliefs in relation to the role of physical activity for chronic pain are more likely to provide advice that reinforces unhelpful behaviours and increases disability. Pain education has been shown to positively change beliefs and shift views towards more evidence-based physical activity recommendations in a range of professionals including physiotherapists, nurses and sports therapists. In addition, specific psychological and behavioural approaches to support self-efficacy, develop pacing skills, and manage pain flareups are required to help people with chronic pain sustain their engagement in exercise. Appropriate education is required to equip those working with people in chronic pain to facilitate these skills. While exercise is a safe intervention, there are key differences in how people with chronic pain may respond to or recover from exercise that need to be planned for in exercise programmes. People with chronic pain vary greatly in their abilities and functional limitations, goals, and lifestyle, in comparison to those without troublesome pain. A review of qualitative data from people with fibromyalgia showed that they report self-selecting an exercise intensity lower than the guideline recommended level to avoid adverse effects and build pain management skills. Patient-public involvement (PPI) focus groups and a survey conducted in the development of this protocol showed that people with chronic pain were very reluctant to enrol in current community-based physical activity opportunities due to anxiety that the exercise leader would not understand or be able to meet their specific needs, and the consequent fear of symptom exacerbation. The most important priority identified for their participation was having an exercise leader who was trained in supporting people with pain. Exercise that is tailored to the specific needs of people with pain is likely to offer a more supportive, safe, and effective approach. There is a clear need for a project developing and delivering an educational intervention for exercise trainers, to support people with pain to exercise in their community.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants will be aged 50 or older, * report chronic MSK pain of ≥3 months duration, * not currently meeting the exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week (determined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Exclusion Criteria: * Participants will be excluded if they have health conditions which could be worsened by exercise (e.g. neurological, or cardiovascular conditions, post-exertional malaise (screened using the DePaul Post-Exertional Malaise Questionnaire have recently undergone trauma or surgery, or have significant mobility issues which would limit exercise participation. * Participants who are unable to communicate in English sufficiently to complete consent or baseline assessment will be excluded
Contact & Investigator
Karen McCreesh, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
UL
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the NCT06535633 clinical trial?
This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 50 Years or older, studying Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.
Is NCT06535633 currently recruiting?
Yes, NCT06535633 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at karen.mccreesh@ul.ie for enrollment information.
Where is the NCT06535633 trial being conducted?
This trial is being conducted at Limerick, Ireland.
Who is sponsoring the NCT06535633 clinical trial?
NCT06535633 is sponsored by University of Limerick. The principal investigator is Karen McCreesh, PhD at UL. The trial plans to enroll 72 participants.