Chronic spinal pain has negative effects on physical and mental well-being. Psychological factors can influence pain tolerance. However, whether these factors influence descending modulatory control mechanisms measured by conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in people with chronic spinal pain is unclear. This systematic review investigated the association between CPM response and psychological factors in people with chronic spinal pain. Published and unpublished literature databases were searched from inception to 23rd October 2023 included MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PubMed. Studies assessing the association between CPM response and psychological factors in people with chronic spinal pain were eligible. Data were pooled through meta-analysis. Methodological quality was assessed using the AXIS tool and the certainty of evidence measured through GRADE. From 2172 records, seven studies (n = 598) were eligible. Quality of included studies was moderate. There was very low certainty of evidence that depression (r = 0.01 [95% CI -0.10 to 0.12], I2 = 0%), and anxiety (r = -0.20 [95% CI -0.56 to 0.16], I2 = 84%), fear avoidance (r = -0.10 [95% CI -0.30 to 0.10], I2 = 70%) had no statistical associations with CPM responder status. Higher pain catastrophising was associated with CPM non-responder status (r = -0.19; 95% CI: -0.37 to -0.02; n = 545; I2: 76%) based on a very low certainty of evidence measured by GRADE. There is currently limited available evidence demonstrating an association between CPM response and psychological factors for people with chronic pain. Managing an individual\'s chronic pain symptoms irrespective of comorbid psychological distress, should continue until evidence offer insights that more targeted interventions are needed.

Chronic spinal pain (CSP) is a prevalent condition, and prolonged sitting at work can contribute to it. Ergonomic factors like this can cause changes in motor variability. Variability analysis is a useful method to measure changes in motor performance over time. When performing the same task multiple times, different performance patterns can be observed. This variability is intrinsic to all biological systems and is noticeable in human movement. This study aims to examine whether changes in movement variability and complexity during real-time office work are influenced by CSP. The hypothesis is that individuals with and without pain will have different responses to office work tasks. Six office workers without pain and ten with CSP participated in this study. Participant\'s trunk movements were recorded during work for an entire week. Linear and nonlinear measures of trunk kinematic displacement were used to assess movement variability and complexity. A mixed ANOVA was utilized to compare changes in movement variability and complexity between the two groups. The effects indicate that pain-free participants showed more complex and less predictable trunk movements with a lower degree of structure and variability when compared to the participants suffering from CSP. The differences were particularly noticeable in fine movements.

BACKGROUND: Ixekizumab, an interleukin 17A (IL-17A) inhibitor, has demonstrated rapid and sustained improvement in the signs and symptoms in patients with active radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) in global and Chinese populations. We studied the effect of ixekizumab on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) (including patient global, spinal pain, stiffness, and fatigue) and overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of ixekizumab in the phase 3 study in China.
METHODS: In this Chinese phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with r-axSpA were randomized (1:1) to receive ixekizumab 80 mg every 4 weeks (IXEQ4W; starting dose 160 mg) or placebo for 16 weeks. At week 16, patients receiving placebo were switched to IXEQ4W, and those receiving IXEQ4W continued, until week 52. Data for patient global, spinal pain, spinal pain at night, stiffness, and fatigue were collected through week 52. Minimally clinical important differences (MCIDs) were determined for spinal pain and spinal pain at night. The subgroup analyses by baseline disease duration since diagnosis and baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) level were conducted post hoc.
RESULTS: Compared with placebo, patients treated with IXEQ4W reported significantly greater improvement with a rapid onset in changes from baseline of PROs (patient global, spinal pain, spinal pain at night, stiffness, and fatigue) through week 16. Improvements were maintained through week 52. A similar trend of improvement was also observed in MCID response in spinal pain and spinal pain at night. The improvement in overall HRQoL was supported by EQ-5D-5L assessment. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that IXEQ4W provided significantly greater efficacy at week 16 compared with placebo, irrespective of baseline disease duration or baseline CRP level.
CONCLUSIONS: IXEQ4W provided rapid and sustained improvement in clinically relevant PROs and overall HRQoL through 1-year treatment in Chinese patients with r-axSpA. Regardless of the baseline disease duration or baseline CRP level, consistent efficacy was observed.
BACKGROUND: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04285229.

UNASSIGNED: Axial SpA (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, yet despite known anti-inflammatory effects of exercise, the effect of exercise on inflammatory immune cell populations and associated inflammatory profiles in axSpA is unknown. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of 12 weeks of walking on symptom severity, cardiometabolic health, inflammatory biomarkers and immune cell populations.
UNASSIGNED: Twenty people (60% male) living with axSpA who were on a stable dose of NSAIDs participated. Participants were randomly assigned to control or exercise (30 min of walking five times per week). Participants were invited back every 4 weeks for assessment.
UNASSIGNED: There was a 0% dropout rate and no adverse events in the exercise group, showing walking exercise was well tolerated. Home-based walking for 12 weeks lowered the proportion of pro-inflammatory monocytes, whereas they increased in the control group. Changes were associated with lower IL-6 and CRP concentrations, lower spinal pain and lower systolic blood pressure in the exercise group, whereas these markers increased in the control group. Reductions in IL-6 and pro-inflammatory monocytes with exercise were independent of lower body fat percentage.
UNASSIGNED: Supplementing NSAID therapy with walking exercise can improve inflammatory immune profiles in people with axSpA, coinciding with reductions in spinal pain. Importantly, the exercise was well tolerated, suggesting walking exercise can be used as an adjuvant anti-inflammatory therapy for NSAID treatments. This should now be explored in people living with axSpA who have had high enough disease activity to necessitate the prescription of biologic or synthetic DMARD treatments.
UNASSIGNED: ClinicalTrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov), NCT04368494.

In Quebec, Canada, the public healthcare system offers free medical services. However, patients with spinal pain often encounter long waiting times for specialist appointments and limited physiotherapy coverage. In contrast, private clinics provide expedited care but are relatively scarce and entail out-of-pocket expenses. Once a patient with pain caused by a spinal disorder meets a pain medicine specialist, spinal intervention is quickly performed when indicated, and patients are provided lifestyle advice. Transforaminal epidural steroid injections are frequently administered to patients with radicular pain, and steroid injections are administered on a facet joint to control low back or neck pain. Additionally, medial branch blocks are performed prior to thermocoagulation. France\'s universal healthcare system ensures accessibility at controlled costs. It emphasizes physical activity and provides free physical therapy services. However, certain interventions, such as transforaminal and interlaminar epidural injections, are not routinely used in France owing to limited therapeutic efficacy and safety concerns. This underutilization may be a potential cause of chronic pain for many patients. By examining the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of these two systems, valuable insights can be gained for the enhancement of global spinal pain management strategies, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction.

UNASSIGNED: Observational studies have hinted at a correlation between the gut microbiota and spinal pain (SP). However, the impact of the gut microbiota on SP remains inconclusive.
UNASSIGNED: In this study, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationship between the gut microbiota and SP, encompassing neck pain (NP), thoracic spine pain (TSP), low back pain (LBP), and back pain (BP). The compiled gut microbiota data originated from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted by the MiBioGen consortium (n = 18,340). Summary data for NP were sourced from the UK Biobank, TSP from the FinnGen Biobank, and LBP from both the UK Biobank and FinnGen Biobank. Summary data for BP were obtained from the UK Biobank. The primary analytical approach for assessing causal relationships was the Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) method, supplemented by various sensitivity analyses to ensure result robustness.
UNASSIGNED: The IVW analysis unveiled 37 bacterial genera with a potential causal relationship to SP. After Benjamini-Hochberg corrected test, four bacterial genera emerged with a strong causal relationship to SP. Specifically, Oxalobacter (OR: 1.143, 95% CI 1.061-1.232, P = 0.0004) and Tyzzerella 3 (OR: 1.145, 95% CI 1.059-1.238, P = 0.0007) were identified as risk factors for LBP, while Ruminococcaceae UCG011 (OR: 0.859, 95% CI 0.791-0.932, P = 0.0003) was marked as a protective factor for LBP, and Olsenella (OR: 0.893, 95% CI 0.839-0.951, P = 0.0004) was recognized as a protective factor for low back pain or/and sciatica. No significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was observed through alternative testing methods.
UNASSIGNED: This study establishes a causal relationship between the gut microbiota and SP, shedding light on the \"gut-spine\" axis. These findings offer novel perspectives for understanding the etiology of SP and provide a theoretical foundation for potential interventions targeting the gut microbiota to prevent and treat SP.

Cognitive decline and spinal pain (back pain [BP] and neck pain [NP]) represent a major public health challenge, yet the potential relationship between them remains elusive. A retrospective analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Ageing Danish Twins was performed to determine any potential relationships between BP/NP and cognitive function adjusting for age, sex, educational and socioeconomic status. A total of 4731 adults (2788 females/1943 males) aged 78 ± 6 (SD) years were included in the analysis. We observed a 1-month prevalence of 25% with BP, 21% with NP and 11% for combined BP/NP. While there were no differences in cognition scores for males and females reporting combined BP/NP, compared to those without combined BP/NP (34.38 points [95% confidence interval (CI) = 31.88, 36.88] vs. 35.72 points [95% CI = 35.19, 36.26]; P = 0.180; and 35.72 points [95% CI = 35.19, 36.26] vs. 35.85 points [95% CI = 35.39, 36.31]; P = 0.327; for male and females, respectively), an adjusted analysis revealed that males with combined BP/NP presented with lower cognitive scores compared to males without combined BP/NP (81.26 points [95% CI = 73.80, 88.72] vs. 79.48 points [95% CI = 70.31, 88.66]; P = 0.043). The findings of this hypothesis-generating study may highlight a potential sex-specific association between spinal pain and later-life neurodegeneration.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems (HCS) are challenged in adopting and sustaining comprehensive approaches to spine care that require coordination and collaboration among multiple service units. The integration of clinicians who provide first line, evidence-based, non-pharmacological therapies further complicates adoption of these care pathways. This cross-sectional study explored clinician perceptions about the integration of guideline-concordant care and optimal spine care workforce requirements within an academic HCS.
METHODS: Spine care clinicians from Duke University Health System (DUHS) completed a 26-item online survey via Qualtrics on barriers and facilitators to delivering guideline concordant care for low back pain patients. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 27 clinicians (57% response) responded to one or more items on the questionnaire, with 23 completing the majority of questions. Respondents reported that guidelines were implementable within DUHS, but no spine care guideline was used consistently across provider types. Guideline access and integration with electronic records were barriers to use. Respondents (81%) agreed most patients would benefit from non-pharmacological therapies such as physical therapy or chiropractic before receiving specialty referrals. Providers perceived spine patients expected diagnostic imaging (81%) and medication (70%) over non-pharmacological therapies. Providers agreed that receiving imaging (63%) and opioids (59%) benchmarks could be helpful but might not change their ordering practice, even if nudged by best practice advisories. Participants felt that an optimal spine care workforce would require more chiropractors and primary care providers and fewer neurosurgeons and orthopedists. In qualitative responses, respondents emphasized the following barriers to guideline-concordant care implementation: patient expectations, provider confidence with referral pathways, timely access, and the appropriate role of spine surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: Spine care clinicians had positive support for current tenets of guideline-concordant spine care for low back pain patients. However, significant barriers to implementation were identified, including mixed opinions about integration of non-pharmacological therapies, referral pathways, and best practices for imaging and opioid use.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and a significant component of healthcare expenditures. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been highlighted as a key resource to improve the quality of care. This study aimed to develop a clinical pathway for LBP based on CPGs in an academic health system.
METHODS: We conducted a modified Delphi study of clinicians caring for patients with LBP who were asked to rate 21 CPG-informed seed statements through an online survey. The goal was to identify statements that achieved a minimum of 80% consensus among panelists.
RESULTS: Thirty-five healthcare providers participated as panelists. The majority of participants were male (68.6%), had MD or DO (62.9%) degrees, and were clinicians (73.8%) working in neurosurgery (36.1%), orthopedics (25.7%), emergency medicine (14.3%), or physical therapy (11.4%). Initially, consensus was reached on 20 of 21 seed statements. One statement did not reach consensus in the initial round and was revised into two separate statements based on feedback from panelists. One of these statements achieved consensus in the second review round. All statements reaching consensus were incorporated into a care pathway consisting of diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment for LBP.
CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers across various disciplines supported statements interpreting current CPGs related to care for LBP. This study represents a step toward supporting guideline-concordant care for LBP. Additional research is needed to assess how such pathways impact actual clinical care.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how body height and trajectories of height from infancy through childhood and adolescence were associated with spinal pain in pre- and late adolescence.
METHODS: This prospective study included 43,765 individuals born into The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) from 1996 to 2003. DNBC-data were linked with health and social data identified from Statistics Denmark registers. Spinal pain was self-reported in both the 11-year- and 18-year follow-up of DNBC and classified according to severity. Body height was measured from birth and onwards and further modelled as distinct developmental height trajectories by using latent growth curve modelling. Associations were estimated by using multinomial logistic regression models.
RESULTS: Taller body height in childhood and adolescence was associated with approximately 20% increased likelihood of spinal pain in pre- and late adolescence among girls compared to their peers in the normal height group. For boys, taller body height was associated with spinal pain by late adolescence only. Spinal pain in pre-adolescence almost doubled the likelihood of spinal pain in late adolescence regardless of body height at age 18. Height trajectories confirmed the relationship for girls with the tall individuals being most likely to have spinal pain in both pre- and late adolescence.
CONCLUSIONS: Tall body height during childhood and adolescence predisposes to spinal pain among girls in both pre-and late adolescence, and among boys in late adolescence. Body height is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of spinal pain in adolescence; however, the mechanisms may be related to growth velocity, but for now uncertain.