PROJECT SUMMARY
Chronic hip pain affects 18.2 million adults annually, with hip-related pain (intra-articular non-arthritic hip pathologies)
accounting for 60% of chronic hip pain cases in young- to middle-aged adults. Surgery and non-operative treatments for
hip-related pain fail to provide ubiquitous benefit as pain and dysfunction persist for a majority of patients. Individuals with
persistent pain often reduce their activity to minimize symptoms despite strong evidence that regular physical activity
reduces chronic musculoskeletal pain. Poor psychosocial health (i.e., low self-efficacy, high pain catastrophizing, and
kinesiophobia) is common among individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain and further reinforces low participation in
physical activity. Mind-body interventions improve psychosocial health, yet to date, have not been implemented to provide
comprehensive, psychologically informed care for patients with hip-related pain. I will fill this gap through the development
(Aims 1 and 2) and feasibility testing (Aim 3) of Helping Improve PSychosocial Health (HIPS), a novel, multimodal mindbody intervention to improve physical activity for sedentary individuals with hip-related pain and poor psychosocial health.
Following the Fear Avoidance Model (FAM) of chronic pain, the multimodal HIPS mind-body intervention will incorporate
pain education, mindfulness training, and goal-setting to improve psychosocial health and facilitate focused engagement in
rehabilitation. I hypothesize that the HIPS mind-body intervention will improve physical activity among sedentary
individuals with hip-related pain and poor psychosocial health. Increased physical activity will improve pain, function and
overall well-being. The HIPS mind-body intervention will be delivered by physical therapists in a hybrid in-persontelephone format to reduce geographic barriers and enable the participation of patients without broadband internet access.
The incorporation of mind-body interventions into psychologically informed clinical practice has demonstrated preliminary
efficacy; however, evidence is lacking to support its’ broad adoption. Findings from this project will directly inform a
multisite feasibility study (3-year NCCIH R01) of the HIPS mind-body intervention. Rigorous evidence of the feasibility
(this K23 and future multisite feasibility RCT) and efficacy (future R01) of mind-body interventions such as HIPS, and the
subsequent embedding of mind-body interventions into physical therapy clinics will provide support for the broad adoption
of psychologically informed rehabilitation. The candidate’s long-term goal is to become an independent, NIH-funded
scientist advancing psychologically informed rehabilitation by developing and implementing effective mind-body and
rehabilitative interventions to optimize clinical outcomes and improve well-being for patients with chronic hip pain. This
K23 will support this goal by providing protected time to complete critical training in mindfulness and mind-body
intervention development and clinical trials to complement her expertise in physical rehabilitation and biomechanics.