Interprofessional Outpatient Therapy for Native Americans with Low Back Pain
Official title: Interprofessional Outpatient Therapy as a Non-Pharmacological Pain Management Intervention for Native Americans Diagnosed with Low Back Pain
Funded at Cherokee Nation · NIH-11369411 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A collaborative outpatient program using physical and occupational therapy to help Cherokee Nation members manage low back pain without relying on drugs or surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cherokee Nation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tahlequah, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $222,478 |
| NIH project number | 1S06GM164777-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369411 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Enrolled members of tribal nations, specifically Cherokee Nation, diagnosed with low back pain and receiving care through CNHS.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not experiencing low back pain or not engaged with CNHS outpatient services may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project partners with Cherokee Nation Health Services and academic partners to create an interprofessional outpatient program combining physical and occupational therapy. It aims to design a respectful, culturally-informed home-management plan for low back pain and to study how well patients adhere to it in the real world. The work will quantify the burden of low back pain in the community and measure the program’s impact on adherence, self-management, and outcomes. By embedding tribal practices and community involvement, it seeks to improve non-pharmacological care and reduce unnecessary interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Patients could experience better pain control and higher adherence to home management plans, reducing reliance on surgery or opioids.
How similar studies have gone: Prior inpatient OT approaches have reduced readmissions; outpatient collaboration with PT/OT for LBP is less studied, making this approach promising but relatively novel in this setting.
Where this research is happening
-
Cherokee Nation
Tahlequah, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tiehen, Amber — Cherokee Nation
- Study coordinator: Tiehen, Amber
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.