Back Pain News and Research

Latest Back Pain News and Research

A minimally invasive approach to managing pain without opioids

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) are adopting a minimally invasive, safer approach to electrically treating pain directly at the source as part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.

19 May 2020

Biomechanical footwear reduces pain associated with knee osteoarthritis

Wearing shoes specifically designed with a novel sole (biomechanical footwear) significantly reduces the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis.

12 May 2020

COVID-19: What the illness looks like

With increasing information about COVID-19 disease gathered first-hand, a more accurate picture of the clinical features is coming together.

2 Apr 2020

Studies shed light on the link between obesity and use of prescription opioids

Two new studies from the Boston University School of Public Health shed light on the relationship between obesity and the use of prescription opioids in the United States.

2 Apr 2020

Spinal stabilization exercise program designed by Lithuanian scientists is 3 times more efficient

With the significant part of the global population forced to work from home, the occurrence of lower back pain may increase. Lithuanian scientists have devised a spinal stabilization exercise program for managing lower back pain for people who perform a sedentary job.

23 Mar 2020

Back pain can be linked to humans' evolutionary past and vertebral shape

The cause of back pain can be linked to humanity's evolutionary past, according to new research from a team of bioarchaeologists at Simon Fraser University, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Sydney.

5 Mar 2020

AI model can distinguish between types of back pain by scouring doctors' notes

Mount Sinai researchers have designed an artificial intelligence model that can determine whether lower back pain is acute or chronic by scouring doctors' notes within electronic medical records, an approach that can help to treat patients more accurately, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in February.

28 Feb 2020

Opioid prescription for chronic non-cancer pain increased in the last two-and-a-half decades

The number of people with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed an opioid medicine worldwide increased in the last two-and-a-half decades.

25 Feb 2020

No quick fix: Missouri finds managing pain without opioids isn’t fast or easy

Missouri began offering chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for Medicaid patients in April, the latest state to try an alternative to opioids for those battling chronic pain.

13 Feb 2020

Vitamin D deficiency in postmenopausal women linked to disc degeneration and lower back pain

Lumbar disc degeneration and resulting lower back pain become greater concerns with age and disproportionately affect women more than men, likely as a result of decreasing estrogen levels during menopause.

12 Feb 2020

Study evaluates feasibility of using T'ai Chi to improve chronic low back pain in older adults

A new study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of using T'ai Chi to improve chronic low back pain in adults over 65 years of age compared to health education and usual care.

11 Feb 2020

Researchers examine the effects of yoga, tai chi, and qigong on chronic low back pain

It's a pain. About 80 percent of adults in the United States will experience lower back pain at some point. Treating back pain typically involves medication, including opioids, surgery, therapy and self-care options.

6 Feb 2020

Coronavirus can’t spread if the patient doesn’t have symptoms, report says

Key information that has been spreading about the mode of transmission of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV is wrong, a new report says.

5 Feb 2020

Higher opioid doses do not seem to improve pain, study finds

Increasing chronic pain patients' opioid prescription doses does not seem to improve pain, according to a Veterans Affairs study.

5 Feb 2020

Going vegan lowers risk of urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are usually caused by bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, which is normally found in the gut but enters the urinary tract through the urethra. UTIs, when left untreated, can reach and affect the kidneys. It is one of the most common microbial infections across the globe, with a worldwide prevalence of 10 in 1,000 people.

30 Jan 2020

Medtronic: RCT demonstrates profound back pain relief with DTM therapy

Medtronic plc today announced three-month results from a large, multicenter randomized controlled trial showing statistically significant (p=0.0009) and superior back pain relief with Differential Target Multiplexed (DTM) Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) compared to conventional SCS.

From Medtronic 27 Jan 2020

Treatment for low back pain in older adults does not match guidelines

Many Medicare patients with new episodes of low back pain receive care inconsistent with current guidelines - including high use of opioids and advanced imaging tests, reports a study in the February issue of Medical Care.

23 Jan 2020

Study explains “Swiss-cheese” bones suspected to cause lower back pain

Researchers at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine say they have added to the evidence that age-related changes to spinal cartilage tissue could invite painful nerve overgrowth that causes lower back pain.

15 Jan 2020

Study may help develop new treatments for abnormal nerve growth in the spine

In experiments with genetically engineered and old mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have added to evidence that the vast majority of low back pain in people may be rooted in an overgrowth of pain-sensing nerves into spinal cartilaginous tissue.

14 Jan 2020

Novela Neurotech’s “smart” neural interface displayed at Creative Destruction Lab

Novela Neurotech, a MedTech company developing AI-powered wireless, "smart" neural interface systems, joins Canada's Creative Destruction Lab to further fine-tune its health technologies to the needs of patients with difficult neurological disorders.

31 Dec 2019