# Biopsychosocial Influence on Shoulder Pain

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $618,722

## Abstract

Abstract
Treatment tailored to specific patient characteristics (i.e. precision medicine) has the potential to offer more
effective options for post-operative pain management. Chronic pain conditions are a heavy burden to society
due their economic impact and individual suffering they cause; and developing precision medicine approaches
are a high priority for the Federal Pain Research Strategy. Accordingly, in this proposal, we will initiate a
precision medicine approach for total shoulder arthroplasty by identifying a risk phenotype that is predictive of
chronic post-surgical pain. Biologic, psychologic, and social factors (alone and in combination) will be
considered as candidates for the risk phenotype. Additionally, changes in biochemical biomarkers and
psychologic factors will be considered as post-operative time-varying factors to enhance predictive accuracy
of the risk phenotype. This proposal will support a prospective cohort study of 461 individuals undergoing
primary total shoulder arthroplasty (anatomic or reverse) at Duke Health. The primary outcome is chronic post-
surgical pain 12-months after total shoulder arthroplasty. Risk phenotype measures will be collected pre-
operatively and time-varying factors will be collected pre-operatively and post-operatively. We will investigate
novel combinations of biologic, psychologic, and social factors to determine a chronic post-surgical pain risk
phenotype for total shoulder arthroplasty. Additionally, time-varying factors will be tested for improving
predictive accuracy of the risk phenotype. This proposal will advance the pain research field by addressing
important knowledge gaps in chronic post-surgical pain development for adults with osteoarthritis that are
undergoing a surgical procedure that is a) rapidly increasing in volume and b) has a high risk of post-operative
pain. Successful completion of the study has the potential to alter standard of care for surgical selection and
provide new avenues of precision medicine for post-operative pain management. Specifically, completion of
this study may allow for risk stratification approaches that improve surgical decision making to be implemented
in health care systems and/or identify novel treatment targets that could be tested for effectiveness in
preventing chronic post-surgical pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10906219
- **Project number:** 5R01AR081796-02
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN Z GEORGE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $618,722
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-15 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10906219

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10906219, Biopsychosocial Influence on Shoulder Pain (5R01AR081796-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10906219. Licensed CC0.

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