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For Patients

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Physiotherapy

Interdisciplinary care, evidence-based approaches for managing a broad spectrum of spinal disorders

 

"Our community of physicians who care for patients with disorders of the spine includes surgeons, physiatrists, anesthesiologists, neurologists, physical therapists radiologists, and medical and alternative health specialists,” said Sigurd Berven, MD, chief of service for the UCSF Spine Center.  The Spine Center is one of the largest centers for management of spinal disorders in the U.S., and a leading center for the development of evidence-based approaches to manage disorders of the spine based upon rigorous assessment of outcomes and clinical research.  

 

"REACH provides an important opportunity for our community of physicians and therapists to work together to translate discoveries in diagnostics and therapeutic interventions to clinical care of patients," added Dr. Berven.

 

“These NIH-supported programs will establish precision medicine approaches to manage chronic lower back pain,” said Dr. Thomas P. Vail, Chair of the Department. “By supporting transdisciplinary collaborations among investigators and other BACPAC programs, REACH’s goal will be to integrate advanced technologies and validated instruments to classify patients for targeted therapies that optimize their chance of a good outcome.”

Resources for cLBP Patients:

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  • ​​​BACKHOME - REACH has launched our entirely online low back pain study, BACKHOME. Help our team find long-term solutions for people suffering from chronic low back pain. Complete the online surveys from anywhere; there are no in-person visits. Learn about the latest low back pain treatments and digital tools. Join our low back pain study!

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  • ​comeBACK - This NIH funded effort is part of a larger initiative to stem the national opioid public health crisis by improving the management of chronic low back pain. This study aims to understand patient perspectives of chronic low back pain to help researchers develop better, safer, and more tailored treatments to every individual! Learn more by visiting the study website.

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  • BEST - UCSF recently became part of BACPAC's BEST clinical trial and participated in the consortium-wide kickoff meeting. BEST stands for "Biomarkers for Evaluating Spine Treatments", and is comprised of four proven treatments for chronic (long term) low back pain. By looking at links between peoples' traits, or phenotypes, the BEST trial will aim to learn what treatments are most effective for an individual based on their traits, to then be able to propose treatments for participants with similar biomarkers. Join the BEST clinical trial!

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  • IncreasiNg diVErSiTy (INVEST) - A study for the improvement of racial and ethnic minority participation in low back pain research. Help us find solutions for people suffering from chronic low back by completing a short survey about your back pain and get up to $50. Join the INVEST study!
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