The Fibromyalgia TENS in Physical Therapy Study (FM-TIPS) has begun enrollment of study participants. It is the first study supported through the NIH Heal Initiative’s PRISM program to begin enrollment.

Congratulations to co–principal investigators Drs. Kathleen Sluka and Leslie Crofford and the FM-TIPS team!

The PRISM projects—Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing—are studying the real-world effectiveness of nonpharmacologic interventions for pain and assessing the implementation of these interventions to improve pain management and reduce reliance on opioids. The NIH Collaboratory Coordinating Center serves as the PRISM Resource Coordinating Center.

FM-TIPS is using a cluster randomized trial design to assess the feasibility of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in addition to physical therapy for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The study will also determine whether the use of TENS improves symptoms of fibromyalgia, increases adherence to physical therapy and the likelihood of meeting therapeutic goals, and reduces medication use.

During the 1-year planning phase, the study team recruited physical therapy sites into the trial, established a better understanding of usual practice to inform trial processes, and ensured the adequacy of trial infrastructure. Learn more about FM-TIPS in this interview with Drs. Sluka and Crofford.

FM-TIPS is supported by the NIH through the NIH HEAL Initiative under an award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.