https://heal.nih.gov/research/clinical-research/back-pain

Back Pain Consortium Research Program

Research | comeBACK Study
  1. https://heal.nih.gov/news/stories/virtual-reality
  2. https://heal.nih.gov/news/stories/bacpac-low-back-pain

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Piecing Together the Puzzle of Chronic Low Back PainPreviousNext

Overview

The Research Need

Chronic low back pain is one of the most common forms of chronic pain among adults worldwide; according to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, it ranked highest in terms of years lived with disability among hundreds of conditions. National Health Interview Survey data indicate that 20 percent of adults in the United States reported “frequent” back pain and 28 percent experienced low back pain that lasted one or more days during the previous three months. Current chronic low back pain treatment options are ineffective, which has led to an increased use of opioids.

About the Program

The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program is a translational, patient-centered effort to address the need for effective and personalized therapies for chronic low back pain. It will examine biomedical mechanisms within a biopsychosocial context by using interdisciplinary methods and exploring innovative technologies. 

The BACPAC Research Program will develop an integrated model of chronic low back pain by:

  • Using deep phenotyping to characterize people with chronic low back pain to improve understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the condition
  • Identifying novel pathways and targets for intervention for the development of new therapeutic options to reduce pain and improve function
  • Developing precise diagnostic and treatment algorithms and then testing and refining them in clinical trials using new interventions and/or combination therapies so health care providers can tailor therapies to patients
  • Combining data from translational research and Phase 2 clinical trials to deliver an integrated model of back pain
  • Collaborating with the Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-Net) to test novel chronic low back pain interventions during clinical trials