Back pain

Back pain is very common and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that makes it hard to move. Back pain can start quickly if you fall or lift something too heavy and for others it can get worse slowly. Treatments usually involve some form of regular exercise, it doesn’t seem to matter which type of exercise or whether it is done at the gym or at home. The longer someone has back pain the more difficult it is to treat successfully and many do not fully recover, although the outlook is still positive.

Preventing people from developing long-term low back pain may be a more effective approach than trying to treat it once they have back pain. Luckily most episodes of back pain get better quickly. Keeping active, getting informed and avoiding bed rest usually speeds up recovery.

About Our Research
Our research is directed towards first understanding why some people with a low back pain don’t recover and develop longer term, or chronic, low back pain. We are developing and testing new interventions to treat those that already have chronic pain and approaches to prevent people from developing chronic pain in the first place. We are proposing that treatments targeting the brain in addition to traditional treatments might be more effective for reducing chronic low back pain. We are also proposing that rather than waiting to treat patients who already have chronic low back pain, much better outcomes are likely to be achieved if we intervene early to reduce the risk of developing chronic low back pain after an acute episode.

To Participate In Our Research

Please contact the Pain@NeuRA research team:
email: pain@neura.edu.au
Phone: 02 9399 1627