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NIH task force proposes new chronic back pain research standards

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The National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium’s task force has introduced a new set of proposed a research standards to help compare the results of chronic low back pain studies, according to a press release.

The task force’s report was published in the June 15 issue of Spine.

According to the NIH task force, new standards are needed to make greater progress toward reducing the high burden and costs of chronic low back pain (cLBP).

“Researchers use varied inclusion criteria, definitions, baseline assessments and outcome measures, which impede comparisons and consensus,” the task force report stated.

Among the new standards, the task force agreed that a clear definition of cLBP should be developed. The task force recommended that cLBP be defined as back pain lasting at least 3 months, and causing pain on at least half of days over the course of a 6-month period, according to the press release.

The recommendations also emphasized the importance of patients’ medical histories over that of the physical exam. The task force did not specify any standard lab or imaging tests, citing a lack of association with patient symptoms or functioning, according to the press release.