Facet-driven low back pain: a targeted look at why pain varies between people
Official title: Facet-mediated Low back pain as a SubGroup for Studying Heterogeneity in Pain
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11206071 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large study focuses on people with facet-mediated persistent low back pain to understand why pain levels differ and how treatments work for different patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $4,635,617 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AR086132-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11206071 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with facet-mediated persistent low back pain who are willing to participate in observational assessments and model development.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without facet-mediated back pain or who are not eligible for observational cohorts may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project will recruit a well-defined group of adults with facet-mediated persistent low back pain to study why pain differs from person to person. Researchers will observe pain patterns and related factors, then validate findings in an existing clinical trial of 300 facet-mediated patients. They will build models to categorize patients by likely pain outcomes and identify what modifies treatment effects for lumbar spine therapies. The work aims to translate these insights into more personalized approaches for managing facet-related back pain.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more tailored treatment plans based on their pain profile and likely response to therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has begun to uncover subgroups in back pain, but this project advances subgroup modeling in facet-mediated pain specifically.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rundell, Sean Daniel — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Rundell, Sean Daniel
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.