UQ-UGent: Spinal Pain

Back and neck pain are extremely common affecting all age groups from children to the elderly. Spinal pain is an important cause of disability globally with low back pain as the leading worldwide cause of years lost to disability. After an episode of spinal pain, the recurrence rate is tremendously high and persistence of pain occurs regularly. Therefore the social and economic burden of spinal pain is substantial. Worldwide there is a call to action. 

Ghent University as well as the University of Queensland have top researchers focusing on identifying underlying mechanisms and the effect of treatment of spinal pain. Since 2009, there is a close collaboration between the Spine, Head and Pain Research Unit Ghent and the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Of UQ. This collaboration formed a sound basis for further expansion of mutual research projects through bilateral agreements, publications, joint PhDs and mutual research visits and meetings.

Project leads

UGent PL: Tine Willems
UQ PL: Paul Hodges