Open-Label Placebo Injection for Chronic Back Pain With Functional Neuroimaging: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Chronic back pain (CBP) is a leading cause of disability. Placebo treatments often provide as much pain relief as bona fide treatments, such as steroid injections. Open-label (honestly prescribed) placebos (OLPs) may relieve CBP without deception, but OLP mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Objective

To investigate the long-term efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms of OLP for CBP.

Design, setting, and participants

A randomized clinical trial of CBP with longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) comparing OLP with usual care, with 1-year follow-up, was conducted in a university research setting and a community orthopedic clinic. Participants were individuals aged 21 to 70 years with CBP. The trial was conducted from November 2017 to August

SUBMITTER: Ashar YK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11391328 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature