FM-TIPS, an NIH Collaboratory Trial, examined whether the addition of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to routine outpatient physical therapy improves pain compared with physical therapy alone among patients with fibromyalgia. The study team recently published the main outcomes of the trial, finding that the intervention led to meaningful reductions in movement-evoked pain, resting pain, and movement-evoked fatigue.
At the NIH Collaboratory’s 2026 Annual Steering Committee Meeting, we spoke with co–principal investigator Kathleen Sluka about the results of the study and lessons for future pragmatic research.
FM-TIPS is supported within the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory through the NIH HEAL Initiative by a grant administered by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Learn more about FM-TIPS.
In the coming weeks, we will share more highlights from the 2026 Annual Steering Committee Meeting. Access the complete meeting materials.
In this Friday’s Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds, Leslie J. Crofford, Dana Dailey, and Kathleen Sluka will present “