Investigation of the risk factor for spinal degenerative disease and neck complaint and low back pain.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K10937
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Wakayama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Teraguchi Masatoshi 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (00554544)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 慢性腰痛 / 椎間板変性 / 終板変化 / 一般住民コホート研究

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We revealed that the Modic change of the lumbar spine was significantly and independently associated with the low back pain after adhustment for the disc degeneration and the nucleus pulposus displacement, which are the causes of the low back pain. In addition, the VAS score for low back pain was higher in subjects with Type I Modic changes than in subjects without Modic changes. Therefore, this results indicated that Type I Modic changes were associated with more severe low back pain.
It was published in an international journal as a research result that it can be a factor of inflammatory pain and that it is more involved in inflammatory pain than other types.

Free Research Field

慢性腰痛症

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

慢性腰痛は本邦での罹患疾病の上位である。慢性腰痛による社会的損失は大きいが、明らかな腰痛を引き起こす原因は不明である。本研究の成果として、椎間板周囲の終板変化（Modic変化)は腰痛の原因とされて他因子を除いても、強い腰痛との相関がみられたため腰痛の原因の一つであることが大規模一般住民コホート研究において証明されたと考える。この結果は社会的に大変意義のある研究であると考えており、引き続き継続していきたいと思います。