Researchers in a 2024 study of more than 15,300 patients with chronic low back pain found that patients’ pain drawings on a body chart “do not signify psychological distress.” Instead, they find that these drawings are more closely associated with physical symptoms, such as disability, pain duration, and pain intensity.
A 2022 study of 5,871 people in England found those with pain “are more likely to report discrimination than those without pain, and this experience is associated with increased depression and loneliness.” This population with perceived discrimination predicts “greater depressive symptoms and loneliness over 6-year follow-up,” the researchers wrote. Scott
Does having perceived discrimination increase the risk of chronic pain? Some researchers think so. Perceived discrimination is a person’s subjective experience of unfair treatment or negative attitudes based on their ethnicity, race, gender, age, body size, disability, and other characteristics. Discrimination is also defined as “process by which a member,
A 2018 systematic review on children and teens with back pain found “no convincing evidence that aspects of schoolbag use increase the risk of back pain in children and adolescents.” Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study pooled 69 trials with a total of more than 72,600
A team of international researchers found that exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and multidisciplinary care could reduce chronic low back pain and disability for one year or longer. Although these treatments have at least a moderate level of certainty, about 68% of the studies have a high risk of
Whether it’s cardio or strength training, exercise has been shown to have moderate short-term to long-term effects for chronic low back pain. (Photo by Airman First Class John D. Partlow)Key takeaways Chronic low back pain stems from multiple causes, including biological, psychological, societal, and environmental factors. The current body of
Key takeaways University of Sydney researchers found one treatment (NSAIDs) to be effective at moderate-level certainty for acute low back pain Five treatments (exercise, spinal manipulation, taping, antidepressants, TRPV1 agonists) with statistically significant but small effects for chronic low back pain. All were compared to placebo. Some common treatments—like paracetamol,
A group of British, Australian, and Finnish researchers identified eight clinical trials that skew the results of 32 systematic reviews and 10 clinical practical guidelines for spinal pain, according to their study published in The Journal of Pain in 2023. These trials examine cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or physical therapy for
A group of European, Australian, and U.S. researchers identified several factors that reduce the trustworthiness of pain research, according to a review published in The Journal of Pain in 2025. These factors include: Failure to meet current standards of governance and integrity Undeclared or poorly managed conflicts of interest Unethical
Most chronic pain explanations are often attributed to biomechanics, physiological factors or both. Not surprisingly, most treatments are often based on these reasons, such as surgery, medications, posture correction, and joint manipulation. However, a group of researchers—led by Dr. Lene Vase from Aarhus University in Denmark—highlighted core principles of psychological
A team of researchers from Australia, Brazil, and the U.K. recommended several changes to the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for low back pain and sciatica because some of the guidelines “are not in line with the most recent evidence.” According to their editorial published in
Jason is a 47-year-old man who loves to work around the house. If there’s grass to be cut, gutters to be cleaned, or Christmas decorations to be hung, he’s your guy. His lawn is the envy of his neighbors, and he beams at his twinkling lights, but the next morning