What research is being done?
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s leading federal funder of research on disorders of the brain and nervous system and one of the primary NIH components that supports research on Pain and pain mechanisms. Other institutes at NIH that support pain research include the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Additionally, other federal organizations, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conduct studies on low back pain.
Scientists are examining the use of different drugs to effectively treat back pain, in particular daily pain that has lasted at least 6 months. Other studies are comparing different health care approaches to the management of acute low back pain (standard care versus chiropractic, Acupuncture, or massage therapy). These studies are measuring symptom relief, restoration of function, and patient satisfaction. Other research is comparing standard surgical treatments to the most commonly used standard nonsurgical treatments to measure changes in health-related quality of life among patients suffering from spinal stenosis. NIH-funded research at the Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research encourages the development of high-quality chiropractic projects. The Center also encourages collaboration between basic and clinical scientists and between the conventional and chiropractic medical communities.
Other researchers are studying whether low-dose radiation can decrease scarring around the Spinal cord and improve the results of surgery. Still others are exploring why spinal cord injury and other neurological changes lead to an increased sensitivity to pain or a decreased pain threshold (where normally non-painful sensations are perceived as painful, a class of symptoms called neuropathic pain), and how fractures of the Spine and their repair affect the spinal canal and intervertebral foramena (openings around the spinal roots).
Also under study for patients with degenerative disc disease is artificial spinal disc replacement surgery. The damaged disc is removed and a metal and plastic disc about the size of a quarter is inserted into the spine. Ideal candidates for disc replacement surgery are persons between the ages of 20 and 60 who have only one degenerating disc, do not have a Systemic bone disease such as osteoporosis, have not had previous back surgery, and have failed to respond to other forms of nonsurgical treatment. Compared to other forms of back surgery, recovery from this form of surgery appears to be shorter and the procedure has fewer complications.
Additional Resources & Information
Diagnosis/Symptoms
Back and Neck Conditions--Making the Diagnosis (Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
Discography (North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF
Lower Back Pain (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Seven Back Pain Warning Signs (North American Spine Society)
Treatment
Back and Neck Treatment Options (National Pain Foundation)
Back Surgery: When Is It a Good Idea? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain (American Pain Society, American College of Physicians)
Kyphoplasty (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
