The BRIDGE Pain Study

NCT07602595 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: BRIDGE Pain1UC2AR086503
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 600
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA); Fibromyalgia; Lupus; Scoliosis; Pectus Excavatum; Chronic Pain; Musculoskeletal Pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) Profile (Pressure)

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

  Baseline

• Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) Profile (Heat)

  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.

  Baseline

• Temporal Summation (TS) Profile

  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.

  Baseline

Study Arms (3)

Primary musculoskeletal pain disorders

localized or widespread MSK pain

Other: Not applicable- observational study

Inflammatory/autoimmune rheumatic diseases

juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE)

Other: Not applicable- observational study

Major MSK surgeries

scoliosis and pectus excavatum repair

Other: Not applicable- observational study

Interventions

Not applicable- observational study OTHER

This is an observational study. No intervention is present.

Inflammatory/autoimmune rheumatic diseases; Major MSK surgeries; Primary musculoskeletal pain disorders

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 26 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The participants in this study will come from several groups at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. These include teens and young adults with long-lasting widespread pain, patients already taking part in chronic muscle and bone pain studies, patients with childhood rheumatic diseases, and patients who have had major muscle or bone surgeries. If we need more participants, we will also recruit from the hospital's rheumatology and pain clinics. We plan to enroll 600 adolescents and young adults, ages 14 to 26, with equal numbers from each of the three study groups.

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati: lead
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Arthritis, Juvenile; Fibromyalgia; Scoliosis; Funnel Chest; Chronic Pain; Musculoskeletal Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Connective Tissue Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Spinal Curvatures; Spinal Diseases; Bone Diseases; Bone Diseases, Developmental; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities; Congenital Abnormalities; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Megan Kirschman

CONTACT

5136361846; bridgestudy@cchmc.org

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Target Duration: 4 Weeks
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 16, 2026
• First Posted: May 22, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2029
• Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Locations

US (1)