What makes low back pain flare up?
Official title: What causes low back pain to flare: Has a major opportunity to understand back pain been missed?
Funded at University of Queensland · NIH-11192342 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will look for short-term triggers of flare-ups in people who have ongoing or recurring low back pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Queensland NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Brisbane, Australia) |
| Project start | September 22, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $396,707 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR080354-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192342 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with recurrent or fluctuating low back pain who experience identifiable flare episodes and can complete brief daily reports or use a smartphone/wearable.
✕Less likely to help
People with a single, isolated acute back injury, those without fluctuating symptoms, or those unable to use the required technology are less likely to benefit from participation.
What this research studies
If you have low back pain that comes and goes, this project would ask you about flare episodes and collect brief real‑time information around those times. The team will use a case‑crossover approach where each person serves as their own comparison, combining smartphone diaries, short surveys, and likely wearable or sensor data to capture activity, mood, sleep, and other possible triggers. The study was shaped with input from people with lived experience to make sure flare-ups are defined in ways that matter to patients. The goal is to identify patterns of transient exposures that predict flares so care can be tailored to each person.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help people avoid or reduce flare-ups by identifying and targeting their personal triggers.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has not yet reliably identified universal flare triggers, so this patient-informed, technology-enabled within-person approach is relatively new and unproven but promising.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Klyne, David M — University of Queensland
- Study coordinator: Klyne, David M
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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.