Mechanisms of Back Pain

Mechanisms of Back Pain

Back pain is complex, multifaceted, and is the source of enormous human disability and suffering. Despite the prevalence of back pain, the underlying molecular events that contribute to painful symptoms remain poorly understood.  More specifically, discogenic back pain is believed to involve complex interactions between the mechanical aspects of the IVD, inflammation, and the nervous system (peripheral and central).  As a result, our lab is interested in studying how the peripheral nervous system interacts with the mechanics of healthy and diseased intervertebral disc tissue and the inflammatory environment present in the degenerative intervertebral disc.  This provides us with a better understanding of the possible sources of discogenic back pain and allows us to better engineer therapeutics targeting back pain.