Experiences of Pain in Healthy Adults

En undersøgelse af Smerteoplevelsen Hos Raske forsøgsdeltagere (A Study of the Pain Experience in Healthy Participants)

The experiment aims to investigate the experience of pain in healthy adults and includes a total of 60 participants. Pain is a subjective experience that has a complicated neurological and psychological basis. Around 20% of the Danish population suffers from persistent pain, which has both personal and societal consequences. Personal consequences include, among others, reduced quality of life, loss of social life and risk of anxiety and depression. However, more knowledge is needed about which mechanisms are involved in the experience of pain, so that the treatment of patients with pain can be improved.

In the experiment, healthy participants will be inflicted with a tolerable pain on their forearm using a thermode. The application of heat causes pain for a short, limited period, but it is tolerable and without risks. During the experiment, the participants will be exposed to heat several times, with and without a cream on their forearm. It is a cream that has previously proved to have pain-relieving effects on participants in similar experiments. Participants will be asked about how they experience the intensity of the pain on a scale of 1-10 (0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain), and what they expect the pain intensity will be, also on a 1-10 scale. The participants are allowed to pause or stop the experiment anytime.

The experiment contributes to insights into pain and the mechanisms involved. This knowledge can in the future contribute with knowledge to improve the treatment of patients with pain. For the individual participant, the trial will contribute with knowledge about how they experience and assess pain themselves.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pain in Healthy Adults
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Pain without cream on; Other: Pain with cream on

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 64
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Denmark
  • Aarhus C, Denmark, 8000
    • Aarhus University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Normal health, i.e. no known acute or chronic illness
• Fluid in Danish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Chronic pain condition
• Other medical or psychiatric disorder
• Use of antidepressants
• Daily use of painkillers
• Use of pain medication 24 hours prior to testing
• Drug abuse
• Pregnancy
• Studying or with completed education in psychology or journalism

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Participants assess their experienced pain	Other: Pain without cream on; Participants will be inflicted with pain without cream on.; Other: Pain with cream on; Patients are inflicted with pain after getting a cream on, which has previously had pain-relieving effects
Active Comparator: Participants assess their expected and experienced pain	Other: Pain without cream on; Participants will be inflicted with pain without cream on.; Other: Pain with cream on; Patients are inflicted with pain after getting a cream on, which has previously had pain-relieving effects

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Experienced pain measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0-10 (from no pain to worst imaginable pain) without cream compared to experienced pain measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0-10 (from no pain to worst imaginable pain) with cream	From beginning to end of experiment, approx. 45 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
The effect of assessing expected pain intensity measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0-10 (from no expected pain to worst imaginable expected pain)	From beginning to end of experiment, approx. 45 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Aarhus

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 7, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 20, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): September 24, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 23, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 22, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Healthy adults; Experience of pain
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: EXPERIENCES OF PAIN

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No