Overview

The goal of this nonrandomized pilot study is to test a mind-body interventional approach for the treatment of chronic upper extremity pain or repetitive stress injury of the upper extremity (wrist/shoulder/elbow).

1. To determine if a mind-body intervention improves upper extremity functional capacity (ie., Disability of Arm Shoulder Hand - DASH) among people with chronic wrist, elbow, and shoulder pain
2. To determine if a mind-body intervention decreases pain intensity, pain-related anxiety, and overall somatic complaints in our trial participants.
3. To tailor the intervention and the outcomes assessment procedures for conducting a trial in a population with upper extremity pain.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adult (≥ 18 years of age)
2. A disability score ≥ 40 as per the QuickDASH survey
3. Presence of pain and perceived disability for a minimum of 3 months
4. Willing to engage in a Mind-Body intervention
5. Positive visualization test (onset of pain when patients visualize themselves performing tasks that generally bring on pain)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Clear organic diagnosis of pain (e.g., cancer, infection, etc...) not inclusive of non-specific findings on imaging studies (e.g., mild arthritis)
2. Age greater than 60 years (due to an increased risk of there being an organic/physical cause for their pain and confounding results)
3. Diagnosis of cognitive impairment or dementia
4. Active addiction disorder, e.g. cocaine or IV heroin use, that would interfere with study participation
5. Major psychiatric comorbidity (e.g., schizophrenia). Anxiety and mild-moderate depression are not considered in this category