Study of Pain, Physical Activity and Resilience in Kids and Across the Lifespan (SPPARKL) Lab
The SPPARKL lab, led by William Black, PhD, focuses on designing, testing and implementing behavioral interventions to improve the quality of life of patients with chronic pain. We are interested in identifying and targeting modifiable psychological and behavioral factors that impact pain treatment outcomes and physical activity engagement through novel treatment approaches. By targeting these factors, we aim to develop personalized pain management therapies that promote the long-term well-being of patients with chronic pain.
Our group is also keenly involved in understanding and identifying the treatment needs of youth with joint-hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. At Nationwide Children's Hospital, Dr. Black is the principal investigator for the Mid-West Pediatric Joint Hypermobility Research program, a CORE Network of Excellence of the Ehlers-Danlos Society. Our current work is focused on understanding barriers to the diagnosis and management of joint-hypermobility and EDS to identify future points of intervention.
Current Projects
The goal of this project is to better understand the clinical and psychosocial outcomes of patients that are seen in the Hypermobility Clinic at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
We periodically examine patient-reported outcomes, including measures like pain intensity and interference, anxiety and depression, mobility and sleep.
The goal of the project is to test a novel intervention that aims to increase resilience for physical activity in adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Participants complete four virtual educational modules through videoconferencing calls with a research coordinator, during which they learn about pain resilience, pain coping and the utility of physical activity in chronic pain management. Before and after the 4-week series of modules, participants complete questionnaires and a series of physical functioning measures. Participants also participate in an interview about their experience in the intervention once they have completed the four educational modules.
Funded By: the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (1K23AR078337).
The goal of this project is to refine a treatment protocol for the application of Virtual Reality Biofeedback (VR-BF) in children and adolescents with chronic pain.
Participants play a virtual reality game while wearing a device called the ForeVR belt, which measures their breathing and heart rate. The virtual reality game provides real-time feedback about participants' breathing and teaches them how to practice a type of breathing called belly breathing, which has been shown to reduce pain sensation.
Inside the SPPARKL Lab
Our Research
Chronic pain is a pervasive and widespread condition that affects approximately 21% of children and adolescents worldwide. Chronic pain leads to physical, psychological and functional impairments and often persists through childhood into adulthood. Moreover, chronic pain is often linked to opioid misuse in adolescence and adulthood. Thus, there is an urgent need to mitigate the risks, negative outcomes and long-term effects associated with chronic pain through innovative, nonpharmacologic therapies.
Our lab collaborates with a multidisciplinary group of researchers and healthcare providers across multiple universities and research centers. By utilizing the expertise of researchers and providers across a variety of fields (e.g., pediatric psychology, anesthesiology, software development), we have developed unique interventions that target the complex needs of patients with chronic pain. As the needs of patients with chronic pain often span multiple healthcare specialties, our lab's team science approach is crucial to the development of interventions that best serve our patients.
We are also currently studying the application of virtual reality in traditional pain therapies. Virtual reality has been shown to enhance pain management in many clinical settings. Our team is currently investigating how virtual reality could be utilized to provide biofeedback to patients during pain therapies.
Featured Publications
- Hulburt, T.C., Black, W.R., Bonnette, S., Thomas, S., Schille, A., DiCesare, C., Briggs, M.S., Ounpuu, S., Kashikar-Zuck, S., Myer, G.D. (2025). Does joint hypermobility exacerbate altered landing and jumping strategies in adolescents with fibromyalgia syndrome compared to controls? Clin Biomech, Feb 21;124:106466. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106466.
- Jones, J.T., Black, L., Lytch, A., Black, W.R. (2025). Patient and Parent Knowledge, Understanding, and Concerns After a New Diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases.
- White, D.A., Black, W.R., Cramer, E., Malloy-Walton, L., Walton, M., Martis, L., Enneking, B., Teson, K.M., Watson, J.S., Gross-Toalson, J. (2025). Validity and Reliability of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for Adolescents with Heart Disease. Med Sci Sports Exerc, Jan 9. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003642.
- Callen, E.F., Clay, T.L., Cogan, W., Black, W.R., Jones, J.T., Mabachi, N. (2025). Community Social Networking for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Health Educ Behav, Apr;52(2):199-206. doi: 10.1177/10901981241292275.
- Garcia, N., Lytch, A., Cramer, E., Black, W.R., Jones, J.T. (2024). Prevalence of Pain and Impact of Joint Strength on Perceived Physical Function in Pediatric Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Arch Phys Med Rehabil.
Join Our Team!
The SPPARKL Lab welcomes applications and is currently recruiting for Clinical research coordinator, Team Lead. Please send your CV to william.black@nationwidechildrens.org.
Collaborate With Us!
We are also actively open to collaboration. If you're interested in working with us, please reach out via email.
Dr. Pratt is currently collaborating with the SPPARKL Lab as a physician collaborator in the Joint-Hypermobility clinic at NCH. She is leading the development of educational programming for physicians on the assessment and management of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and joint-hypermobility. She is also collaborating on planned studies evaluating gait and movement biomechanics in youth with joint-hypermobility.
Dr. Skeens is currently collaborating with SPPARKL on an initiative to introduce augmented reality-based physical therapy programs to pediatric patients with chronic pain and patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Dr. Warner is currently collaborating with the SPPARKL Lab by providing insight into clinical perspectives that affect research practices, such as the alignment between research interventions and clinic realities and best practices for recruiting patients with chronic pain through pain treatment programs at NCH for research.
Dr. Black is currently collaborating with the SPPARKL Lab on projects in joint-hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She brings 10 years of expertise in qualitative study design and analysis to the group and is the site lead investigator for The Ohio State University Medical Center for the Midwest Pediatric Joint Hypermobility Research Network. She is an active co-author and co-investigator on current and upcoming projects in joint-hypermobility.
Dr. Jones is currently collaborating with the SPPARKL Lab by providing his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and joint-hypermobility. He is an active collaborator on the group’s ongoing longitudinal work in joint-hypermobility and hEDS, co-author, and co-investigator on projects in planning.
Dr. Olbrecht is currently collaborating with the SPPARKL Lab as part of a cohort of physicians and researchers exploring the applications of virtual reality biofeedback across diverse patient populations, including perioperative patients, patients with chronic pain, and patients undergoing cancer treatment.
