Overview
Dr. George’s primary interest is research involving biopsychosocial models for the prevention and treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. His long term goals are to 1) improve accuracy for predicting who is going to develop chronic pain; and 2) identify non-pharmacological treatment options that limit the development of chronic pain conditions. Dr. George is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association, United States Association of the Study of Pain, and International Association for the Study of Pain.
Dr. George’s research projects have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and Orthopaedic Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. George and his collaborators have authored over 330 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical, orthopaedic surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and pain research journals. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal. Dr. George has also been involved with clinical practice guideline development for the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and the American Psychological Association.
Dr. George has been recognized with prestigious research awards from the American Physical Therapy Association, American Pain Society, and International Association for the Study of Pain. For example from the American Physical Therapy Association: he was named the 21st John H.P. Maley Lecturer, recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow in 2017, and selected for the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy in 2022.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Management of glenohumeral osteoarthritis in the younger patient: A population level analysis of usual care delivery in a large health system.
Journal Article Osteoarthr Cartil Open · March 2026 OBJECTIVE: To characterize healthcare utilization in a younger population with glenohumeral osteoarthritis. METHODS: Adults seeking care for glenohumeral osteoarthritis between July 2013 and March 2019 were analyzed. Ambulatory visits, pharmacological, and ... Full text Link to item CitePatterns and trajectories of peripheral inflammatory cytokines, immune tolerance, and lymphocyte differentiation predict transition from acute to chronic low back pain in a sex- and age-specific manner.
Journal Article Pain · February 1, 2026 The immune system mediates pain perception in preclinical models. Yet, the role of the immune system in transition to a chronic pain state in humans remains unclear, and biomarkers to inform the clinical management and/or development of therapies to preven ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteThe effect of positive, neutral, and negative expectations about spinal manipulative therapy on pain intensity in chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.
Journal Article J Pain · December 31, 2025 Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) has favorable, but small effects on pain intensity to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, there is the potential for these effects to be enhanced by manipulating treatment expectations. Our objective was to invest ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030Boston Children's/UCLA/Duke Next Generation Regeneration for Osteoarthritis (BUD NextGenRegen for OA)
ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health · 2024 - 2029Biomarkers to Advance Clinical Phenotypes of Low Back Pain (BACk)
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2023 - 2028View All Grants