Active clinical trials for "Low Back Pain"

Recently, it has been reported that the thoracolumbar fascia may play a role in the pathophysiology of chronic low back pain.There is still no standard method for imaging and analyzing the thoracolumbar fascia.The aim of this study is to advance the understanding of the role of the thoracolumbar fascia in chronic low back pain as well as to advance the analysis methods.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is established by the persistence of low back pain beyond 3 months of symptom initiation . The overwhelming element of treatment is physical exercise . Other methods of treatment like cognitive therapy, behavioural therapy and multidisciplinary rehabilitation can also lead to significant improvements 1. Prevalenc of CLBP increases linearly from the third decade of life on, until the 60 years of age, being more prevalent in women.2 CLBP is a common condition affecting many individuals at some point in their lives.3 The estimation is that between 5.0% and 10.0% of cases will develop CLBP, which is responsible for high treatment costs, sick leave, and individual suffering, in addition to being one of the main reasons for people to seek health care services.4 CLBP and related disorders represent a wide spectrum of syndromes that are associated with changes in the pain processing pathways of the central nervous system .5 Those syndromes affect many systems in the body, and the associated plasticity changes in the CNS can lead to augmentation of pain transmission and processing circuits. 6,7 The pain in patients with CLBP occurs as a result of a process called central sensitization (CS), which refers to increased excitability of the neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This increased excitability is associated with increased spontaneous neuronal activity, expanded receptive fields, and enhanced responses to the impulses transmitted by both large and small-fiber sensory afferents.8 The Hoffman reflex , F-wave and Somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) are often used to measure spinal excitability in various physiological and pathological states.9-10 The H-reflex is elicited by stimulation of type Ia afferent sensory fibers. These fibers synapse directly onto the alpha motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, forming a monosynaptic reflex arc. Submaximal stimulation of this reflex arc elicits a compound muscle action potential (CMAP) known as the H wave. This reflex arc appears to depend on the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the spinal cord . F wave is a late response that follows the motor response (M) and is elicited by supramaximal electrical stimulation of a mixed or a motor nerve.11 The study of the F waves is particularly useful for the diagnosis of proximal nerve lesions that would be otherwise inaccessible to other routine NCSs.12 SSEPs are also important complementary diagnostic methods in the electrophysiologic evaluation of CLBP. SSEPs are a very sensitive measure of the functional integrity of the neuroaxis, including peripheral and central structures. When used in diagnostic mode they can provide additional information regarding the probable areas of dysfunction. Since a change in spinal excitability is one of the main mechanisms underlying the hypothesis of CS in CLBP, performing these tests might be an easy, widely available, cheap, and objective method for assessing spinal excitability in patients with CLBP.

Chronic low back pain may be associated with active discopathy. This subset of individuals are defined by a clinical and radiological syndrome with specific MRI signals, known as MODIC changes. Three types (I, II and III) of MODIC changes are described. Type I refers to the inflammatory reaction regarding the intervertebral-disc subchondral bone and adjacent vertebral-endplate subchondral bone. The natural evolution of this active discopathy will lead to sclerosis (type III) supposedly less painful. So far the underlying mechanism remains unclear and debated (mechanical, local infection, genetic). In the absence of international guidelines on the management on chronic low back pain with MC type 1, different therapeutic strategies have been described. The main goal is to accelerate the transition to MC type 2, which is supposedly less painful. The estimated time to expect a transition from type 1 to type 2 is at least 1 year. The mechanical hypothesis found its origin in the Modic et al. initial study, linking Modic changes (MC) types 1 and 2 to degenerative disc disease. The Histological analysis of patient suffering from active discopathy has shown signs of micro fractures regarding vertebral endplates. The local inflammatory reaction may be part of a repair process following the micro fracture. Based on this mechanical explanation an orthopaedic treatment with a lumbar brace may accelerate the healing, thus the transition from modic I to type II. This approach has been studied in a retrospective analysis on 62 patients suffering from active discopathy (modic type I) who were prescribed a custom lumbar rigid brace for 3 months, at endpoint 80% of the patients treated described a reduction of at least 30% of their initial pain. This study aims to confirm the previous hypothesis, that lumbar immobilisation by custom rigid brace can reduce the pain after being worn for 3 months. Secondary objective will be to assess the pain reduction at 6 months along with functional outcome, fears and beliefs, mood and medical costs at short (3 months) and mid (6months) term.

The purpose of this study is to assess the benefits of Percutaneous Neuromodulation Therapy when compared to a reference sham treatment in the treatment of patients who have undergone surgical intervention for chronic low back pain with or without a radiating lower extremity pain component.

Comparison of Spinal Stabilization Exercises Vs Maitland Mobilization Along with Laser Therapy in Non-Specific Low Back Ache

Low back pain (LBP) is prevalent among adolescents from the general population and in general practice. Not only is LBP associated with pain and functional limitation among patients, also the socioeconomic burden of the condition is substantial worldwide. Chronic cases of LBP are not uncommon in adolescents, especially among those whose parents are suffering from chronic pain. Several individual factors influence LBP among adolescents. Especially previous episodes of LBP, low pain self-efficacy levels and worries about LBP has been identified as worsening factors in regard to pain and disability. At present there is little evidence to inform a large randomized experimental study to investigate the effect of a given treatment modality in this group of young patients. Furthermore, it remains to be investigated if individual factors, such as, pain self-efficacy levels and worries about LBP may mediate the effect of a behavioral intervention regarding pain and disability. However, the single case experimental design allows for close monitoring of the patients during a controlled treatment course. As such, the single case experimental design study can provide vital and fundamental knowledge regarding treatment effect and mediating factors in relation to an intervention aimed at improving self-management in adolescent LBP patients. This study aims to investigate the effect of an intervention to improve self-management among adolescent LBP patients assessed by pain intensity and functional disability in a single case experimental design. We further aimed to investigate if LBP related worries and pain self-efficacy would mediate the effect of the intervention. We hypothesized that the self-management intervention would lead to lower pain intensity scores and decrease disability levels on a patient level.

The main purpose of this study is to assess whether LY3857210 is safe and efficacious in relieving chronic low back pain (CLBP). This trial is part of the chronic pain master protocol (H0P-MC-CPMP) which is a protocol to accelerate the development of new treatments for chronic pain.

The aim of this study is to determine whether the effectiveness of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization technique is different from passive prone lying when performed with a functional exercise in individuals with chronic nonspecific low back pain.

The percentage of loss time claims receiving Loss of Earnings benefits at 3 months has continued to rise amongst injured workers in Ontario despite the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) approach of "Better at Work". The primary health services to address loss time claims associated with musculoskeletal injuries include the evidenced-based programs of care, occupational health assessment program and musculoskeletal specialty programs, however, these are set to be revised and relaunched in Q1 2023. Across treatment protocols there are challenges that, at least in part, appear to contribute to the increasing percentage of workers on full loss of earnings at 3 months include (1) inconsistent early identification of workers who should be triaged to various health services and (2) reliable determination of the optimal timing of referral to the most targeted care to enable a safe and sustainable return to work. The investigators aim to develop and evaluate a predictive assessment model to triage workers to the best service within the first 8 weeks of their claim to increase the rate of early return to work, with the long-term goal that the triage protocol becomes part of a person-centric protocol that reduces the duration of work-related disability. The investigators will develop and evaluate an assessment protocol for injured workers that enter any of the musculoskeletal-specific WSIB programs of care, which have been consolidated into a single program as of 2023. This study will be a prospective inception cohort design using data collected from injured workers receiving WSIB musculoskeletal programs of care services at CBI Health clinics in Ontario Canada. Worker data will be collected at intake to the program of care service and again approximately four and eight weeks after intake (or earlier if a worker completes the program of care). The investigators will complete data analysis in three steps including descriptive and bivariate associations, Maximum Likelihood-based Latent Profile Analysis, and evaluation of results against successful work outcomes and secondary outcomes. Qualitative data will be mined for alternative indicators of recovery / non-recovery. The study recruitment goal is 300 - 350 workers with complete follow-up within a 2-year period.

Pain in the lower back is a major concern in today's era due to prolonged sitting in two-wheeler riders, mainly due to hamstring tightness. It also creates physical disability and impairment in activities of daily living. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of muscle energy technique (MET) and self-myofascial release (SMFR) using the foam roller on hamstring flexibility, dynamic balance, and physical disability amongst two-wheeler riders with chronic low back pain. Participants were randomized into two intervention groups, MET and SMFR, using the envelope method, with each group having 20 participants. Hamstring flexibility and range of motion for knee extension and the lower back were assessed using the active knee extension test and sit and reach test, the dynamic balance was assessed by the star excursion balance test (SEBT) and physical disability by Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, (RMDQ). Measurements were taken at baseline and after 4-week of intervention. The level of significance value was set at 95% (p <0.05).