A Clinical Trial Of Manipulative Therapy And/or NSAIDs For Significant Acute Low Back Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,625.00
Summary
Acute low back pain is a disabling condition with many sufferers being unable to perform their family or work duties due to severe pain. Treatment of acute LBP is also costly, this condition being one of the most frequent problems managed by general practitioners. Guidelines about how to treat patients with acute low back pain have suggested that advice and paracetamol should be the first line of treatment. In patients with insufficient pain relief two of the most frequently used additional trea ....Acute low back pain is a disabling condition with many sufferers being unable to perform their family or work duties due to severe pain. Treatment of acute LBP is also costly, this condition being one of the most frequent problems managed by general practitioners. Guidelines about how to treat patients with acute low back pain have suggested that advice and paracetamol should be the first line of treatment. In patients with insufficient pain relief two of the most frequently used additional treatments are anti-inflammatory medication and manipulative physiotherapy. However, to date it is not known whether the addition of one or both of these treatments results in faster recovery for the patient. Our clinical trial will clarify whether the addition of (i) anti-inflammatory medication and-or (ii) manipulative physiotherapy, to advice and paracetamol given by the doctor results in a faster recovery for the patient with acute low back pain. This results of this study will make it possible for general practitioners to manage acute low back pain in an evidence-based way.Read moreRead less
The Efficacy Of Manipulation For Recent Onset Neck Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,974.00
Summary
Neck pain is extremely common, with a point prevalence of 46% in the general community. Neck pain can cause significant disability, and is the second most common injury causing people to take time off work. Neck pain and its associated disability clearly poses a substantial social and economic burden. Neck manipulation (high velocity thrust of the joints, often associated with a click) is widely used by physiotherapists for the management of recent onset neck pain, but there is no clear evidence ....Neck pain is extremely common, with a point prevalence of 46% in the general community. Neck pain can cause significant disability, and is the second most common injury causing people to take time off work. Neck pain and its associated disability clearly poses a substantial social and economic burden. Neck manipulation (high velocity thrust of the joints, often associated with a click) is widely used by physiotherapists for the management of recent onset neck pain, but there is no clear evidence for its efficacy. In addition, the use of manipulation is associated with serious, although rare, adverse events such as stroke or even death. The risk-benefit analysis, therefore, does not clearly favour manipulation because efficacy has not been established, while the risks are serious, but infrequent. The findings of the proposed study will clearly and precisely determine the efficacy of manipulation compared with the safer treatment technique of mobilisation (gentle oscillatory pressure applied to the joints), information that is currently unavailable. This information is of vital importance to many different disciplines, including health professionals, insurance companies, and to administrators for development of health policy. Our findings will thus provide evidence-based guidelines for the use of manipulation, and will ultimately lead to safer practice of physiotherapy for neck pain.Read moreRead less
Inflammatory lipids are involved in neurotrauma. They are key players in regulating the brain, spinal cord and immune responses to injury and thus in modulating the outcome of central nervous system (CNS) damage. We will investigate how bioactive inflammatory lipids, released during trauma, modulate neural response to injury and regeneration, by assessing their roles on central nervous system responses to injury.
We have designed novel gene therapy agents to treat MND. This therapeutic approach uniquely combines gene therapy agents with antibodies which stimulate motor neuron health and connections to muscle. This project will comprehensively characterise the therapeutic effects of our novel gene therapy agents in MND mice. We predict that our gene therapy complexes will improve motor neuron survival,motor function and lifespan in MND mice.
Immediate Cooling And Emergency Decompression (ICED) For The Treatment Of Spinal Cord Injury: Pilot, Safety And Feasibility Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,008.00
Summary
Victims of Spinal Cord Injury are young, have severe paralysis, complex needs and high lifetime costs. Although urgent surgery greatly improves outcome, it is difficult to achieve because of logistical difficulties. To expand the time window for early surgery, it is proposed to immediately cool patients. This project will conduct the pilot studies necessary before commencing a clinical trial of immediate cooling and emergency decompression (ICED) in patients with cervical spinal cord injuries.
Therapeutic Development Of A Novel EphA4 Antagonist For Spinal Cord Injuries
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,105.00
Summary
Spinal cord injuries impose a significant burden on patients and their carers. At present, there are no treatments for spinal cord injury that provide functional improvement. This research program will develop a novel therapeutic molecule, EphA4-Fc, which promotes axonal regeneration and delivers significant functional improvement. We will determine the most effective protocol for EphA4-Fc administration and the physiological and functional outcomes of these treatment regimes.
Unravelling The Riddle Of Spondylolysis: A Novel Biomechanical Approach Incorporating Innovative Strain Field Mapping, Acute Fracture Path Mapping And In Vivo Weightbearing Spinal Kinematics Derived From Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,673.00
Summary
Low back pain represents a significant social and economic burden in Australia and can be debilitating for individuals. This project aims to understand the biomechanical origins and consequences of spondylolysis, a common spinal stress fracture affecting both children and adults. The results of these studies will contribute to improved prevention, detection and treatment of this spinal condition, and reduce the incidence of more serious spinal problems which can occur subsequent to spondylolysis ....Low back pain represents a significant social and economic burden in Australia and can be debilitating for individuals. This project aims to understand the biomechanical origins and consequences of spondylolysis, a common spinal stress fracture affecting both children and adults. The results of these studies will contribute to improved prevention, detection and treatment of this spinal condition, and reduce the incidence of more serious spinal problems which can occur subsequent to spondylolysis.Read moreRead less