Dr Aidan Cashin

RESEARCHER PROFILE

Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow

a.cashin@neura.edu.au

Back pain Pain Chronic pain

Dr Aidan Cashin is a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and an associate lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of New South Wales. A member of the Centre for Pain IMPACT, his PhD focused on improving the evidence-based management of low back pain. Aidan was awarded the 2022 Ronald Dubner Research Prize by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) for the best doctoral thesis in the field of pain. Prior to commencing research, Aidan pursued a successful clinical career as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, practicing primarily in the field of chronic musculoskeletal pain. 

Aidan’s current research deals with investigating the mechanisms of healthcare interventions for optimization and translation into clinical practice and health policy. Most of Aidan’s work is applied to the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions, and he also conducts methodological work that aims to improve research transparency and openness. Follow Aidan’s work on Google Scholar and ORCID.  

Projects Dr Aidan Cashin is currently involved with

CURRENT PROJECTS

MEMOIR – a clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome


ISOBEL WILLIAMS, PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SYLVIA GUSTIN, MICHAEL FERRARO, DR AIDAN CASHIN, DR SAURAB SHARMA, ANIKA HAIGH, DR HOPIN LEE

To learn more about MEMOIR please visit our new website memoir.neura.edu.au

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MEMOIR – a clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

RESOLVE Trial for Chronic Low Back Pain


PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY, DR MATTHEW K BAGG, DR AIDAN CASHIN, DR MARKUS HüBSCHER, DR HOPIN LEE, RODRIGO RIZZO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SYLVIA GUSTIN, PROFESSOR LORIMER MOSELEY, DR MARKUS HUEBSCHER, EDEL O’HAGAN, HAYLEY LEAKE, ANIKA HAIGH
For people with long term back pain that is not getting better. We are testing two pain treatment programs that target the brain, for people with chronic low back pain.

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RESOLVE Trial for Chronic Low Back Pain

Medicines for Back Pain


DR MARKUS HüBSCHER, PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY, DR MATTHEW K BAGG, MICHAEL WEWEGE, MICHAEL FERRARO, RODRIGO RIZZO, HAYLEY LEAKE, PAULINE ZAHARA, EDEL O’HAGAN, DR AIDAN CASHIN, THIAGO FOLLY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SYLVIA GUSTIN, DR MATTHEW JONES, DR MARKUS HUEBSCHER

Medicines are the most common treatment for back pain. The aim of this program of research is to improve our understanding of the clinical effects of medicines.

Studies currently in progress:

  1. Scoping review of paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain (led by Matthew K Bagg). The objective of this study is to identify and describe the characteristics of available clinical trials of commonly used analgesic medicines for chronic low back pain. This information will inform the design and conduct of other studies in the research program.
  2. Paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain: a network meta-analysis (led by Matthew K Bagg). The objective of this study is to produce information about the clinical effects of available analgesic medicines for chronic low back pain. This information will be available in a Cochrane review to assist clinical prescription of medicines. The protocol is published and available here.
  3. Prescribing practices of medicines for adults with low back pain: a systematic review (led by Michael Wewege). The objective of this study is to determine how different medicines are prescribed to adults with low back pain and how this differs across countries. The protocol for this study is being developed.
  4. Analgesic medicines for adults with low back pain: a network meta-analysis (led by Michael Wewege). The objective of this study is to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of a range of analgesic medicines for adults across different classifications of low back pain. The protocol for this study has been submitted for publication.
  5. Muscle relaxant medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Aidan Cashin and Thiago Folly). The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of muscle relaxant medicines for adults with low back pain. The protocol is available here.
  6. Novel biologic medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Rodrigo Rizzo). The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of novel biologic medicines for adults with low back pain. The protocol is available here.

Completed studies:

  1. Evaluation of the impact of unpublished data from clinical trial registries on the effects of medicines for low back pain (led by Matthew Bagg). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether there is a difference between clinical trial data that are published and those that are not published. The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
  2. Antidepressant medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Michael Ferraro). The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of antidepressant medicines for adults with low back pain. The findings have been submitted for publication. The protocol is available here.

Medicines for Back Pain – Publications:

  • Bagg MK, McLachlan AJ, Maher CG, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Wand BM, Moseley GL, Hübscher M, O’Connell NE, van Tulder MW, Nikolakopoulou A, McAuley JH. (2018). Paracetamol, NSAIDS and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain: a network meta-analysis [Protocol]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 6. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013045. PMCID: PMC6513465
  • Bagg MK, O’Hagan E, Zahara P, Wand BM, Hübscher M, Moseley GL, McAuley JH. (2020). Reviews may overestimate the effectiveness of medicines for back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. doi: 10.1016/ j.jclinepi.2019.12.006. PMID: 31816418

Medicines for Back Pain – Registrations of Study Protocols:

  • Folly T, Bagg MK, Wewege M, Ferraro MC, Schabrun S, Gustin SM, Day R, McAuley JH. (2019) UMbRELLA: Understanding efficacy and safety of Muscle RELaxant medicines for Low back pain – systematic Literature review and meta-Analysis (protocol).Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/xuw5h
  • Rizzo RN, Bagg MK, Ferraro MC, Wewege M, Cashin A, Leake HB, O’Hagan E, Jones M, McAuley JH. (2020). Efficacy and safety of medicines targeting neurotrophic factors in the management of low back pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/zax6d
  • Ferraro MC, Bagg MK, McAuley JH. (2019). RADICAL: Systematic Review of Anti-Depressant Medicines if Considered Analgesics for Low Back Pain (protocol). Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/cedm3

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Medicines for Back Pain

AGReMA – A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses


PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY, DR HOPIN LEE, DR AIDAN CASHIN, DR MATTHEW K BAGG, RODRIGO RIZZO

There are a growing number of studies using mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures. Recent work has shown that the reporting of these studies is heterogenous and incomplete. This problem stifles clinical application, reproducibility, and evidence synthesis. The development and implementation of A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA) will improve the standardization, transparency, and completeness in the reporting of studies that use mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures.

AGReMA Publications

Cashin AG, McAuley JH, Lamb SE, Hopewell S, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Lee H. (2020). Development of A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA). BMC Med Res Methodol 20(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12874-020-0915-5. PMID: 32013883

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AGReMA – A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses

EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: CASE STUDY – EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCE AUSTRALIA (ESSA)

EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN: A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH – THE NEURA BLOG

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON THE POLICIES OF PAIN JOURNALS BLOG – BMJ EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE (FEBRUARY 2020)

INTERVIEW – HINDSIGHT IS JUST THAT– THE ICECREAM – INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION OF EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS (OCTOBER 2017)

RESEARCH TEAM

DR SAURAB SHARMA Postdoctoral Research Fellow : saurab.sharma@neura.edu.au

YANNICK GILANYI Honours Student : y.gilanyi@neura.edu.au

BRISHNA SHAH Honours Student : b.shah@neura.edu.au

JACK DEVONSHIRE Research Assistant : j.devonshire@neura.edu.au

HARRISON HANSFORD Doctoral Candidate : h.hansford@neura.edu.au

DR MARKUS HÜBSCHER Postdoctoral Research Fellow : m.huebscher@neura.edu.au

DR ADRIAN TRAEGER Postdoctoral Research Fellow : a.traeger@neura.edu.au

MICHAEL FERRARO Doctoral Candidate : 02 9399 1049
: m.ferraro@neura.edu.au

RODRIGO RIZZO PhD Candidate : r.rizzo@neura.edu.au

HAYLEY LEAKE Doctoral Candidate

DR MATTHEW JONES Postdoctoral Research Fellow : matthew.jones@unsw.edu.au

MICHAEL WEWEGE Doctoral Candidate : m.wewege@neura.edu.au

THIAGO FOLLY Research Assistant

ANIKA HAIGH Research Assistant : a.haigh@neura.edu.au

PAULINE ZAHARA Clinical Trial Manager

DR IAN SKINNER Postdoctoral Research Fellow

DR HOPIN LEE Postdoctoral Research Fellow

DR MATTHEW K BAGG Postdoctoral Research Fellow : m.bagg@neura.edu.au

EDEL O’HAGAN PhD Candidate : e.ohagan@neura.edu.au

ISOBEL WILLIAMS Research Assistant : i.williams@neura.edu.au

SAM WILLIAMS Research Assistant : s.williams@neura.edu.au

SUPERVISORS

PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader, NeuRA Director, Centre for Pain IMPACT Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney

Further information about Dr Aidan Cashin

RELATED INFORMATION

Qualifications

  • PhD
  • BExPhys (Distinction)

Scholarships and Awards

  • 2019: Postgraduate Research Support Scheme (PRSS) travel grant, The University of New South Wales
  • 2019: Prince of Wales Clinical School PhD travel grant, The University of New South Wales
  • 2018-19: Elite Athlete, Performers and Leaders. Program, The University of New South Wales
  • 2018: The 2018 Prince of Wales Clinical School Postgraduate Research Day. Prize for Best Poster Presentation
  • 2017-19: Prince of Wales Clinical School Postgraduate Research Scholarship (1 year), successful three years in a row
  • 2017-20: Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). PhD Supplementary Scholarship

PUBLICATIONS

Changes in synovitis and bone marrow lesions may not mediate the effect of cartilage loss on joint pain in osteoarthritis.

Cashin AG, McAuley JH, Lee H
Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Oct;():. doi: 33004329. Epub 2020 Oct.

A systematic review highlights the need to improve the quality and applicability of trials of physical therapy interventions for low back pain.

Cashin AG, Lee H, Bagg MK, O'Hagan E, Traeger AC, Kamper SJ, Folly T, Jones MD, Booth J, McAuley JH
J Clin Epidemiol. 2020 10;126():106-115. doi: 32603685. Epub 2020 Jul.

The objective of this study was to review and assess the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials that test physical therapy interventions for low back pain. Most trials that test physical therapy interventions for low back pain have methodological limitations that could bias treatment effect estimates. Greater attention to methodological features, such as allocation concealment and the reporting of intention-to-treat effects, would improve the quality of trials testing physical therapy interventions for low back pain.

Items for consideration in a reporting guideline for mediation analyses: a Delphi study.

Cashin AG, McAuley JH, Lamb S, Hopewell S, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Lee H
BMJ Evid Based Med. 2021 Jun;26(3):106. doi: 32847804. Epub 2020 Aug.

Mediation analysis is a widely used quantitative method for investigating how interventions and exposures in randomised controlled trials and observational studies have an effect on healthcare outcomes. This study aimed to assess the importance of items that should be considered in a consensus meeting aimed at developing a guideline for reporting mediation analyses. This Delphi study used a rigorous consensus process to reach consensus on 34 reporting items for studies that use mediation analysis. These results will inform a consensus meeting that will consolidate a core set of recommended items for reporting mediation analyses.

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