Pain and trunk muscle control: Effects, mechanisms and consequences [ 2006 - 2008 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Paul Hodges (Principal investigator) ,  Prof G. Lorimer Moseley ,  Prof Jaap Van Dieen ,  Prof Jacek Cholewicki ,  Prof Rob Herbert
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Brief description Twenty-one percent of Australians report long-term back problems. This makes back pain the most common chronic pain in Australia and most prevalent disorder among the National Health Priority Areas. For the majority with recurrent and chronic problems, the cause is unknown but changes in control of the spine are thought to be important. It is well accepted that pain and injury to the low back affect the way that we control the back muscles and this leads to changes in spinal function. However, despite considerable investigation of this problem, there is a distinct lack of consensus for how the control of movement is changed during pain, why it changes, and whether these changes lead to further problems in the long term. The objective of this series of studies is to determine how the adaptation to pain changes the control of the spine. We will use a range of techniques that include tests of the strategies used by the brain to control the spine and mathematical models to estimate the effect that these changes have on the spine when people are given back pain by injecting sterile salty water into the back muscles. These studies will be backed up by measures of mechanical properties of the spine and by comparison to people with clinical pain. This combination of methods has not been used previously and is likely to help resolve the problem of how muscle control is chaged in back pain. We will also test a range of hypotheses regarding how pain has its effect on muscle activity. A final series of studies aims to determine whether the failure of these changes in muscle control to resolve after an epiosde of back pain leads to increased recurrence of pain in the long-term. The importance of this project is highlighted by the significance of back pain as a major health issue, the lack of consensus regarding the effect and mechanisms of pain on trunk muscle control (despite extensive investigation), and the potential for the findings to guide rehabilitation and management.

Funding Amount $AUD 296,452.77

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant