Back pain and HRQoL in VFs (vertebral fractures) patients

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Back pain, health related quality of life, and physical performance as indicators to discriminate between older women with and without osteoporotic vertebral fractures

• IRAS ID

  213801

• Contact name

  Emma Clark

• Contact email

  Emma.Clark@bristol.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Bristol

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 5 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Background
  Osteoporosis (brittle bones) is very common in older women. One of the most serious consequences of osteoporosis is vertebral fractures (broken bone in the back). People with vertebral fractures have more back pain and reduced physical quality of life compared to those without vertebral fractures. However, understanding of the specific quality of back pain in older women with vertebral fractures is limited. Further work is required to explore specific types and description of back pain in women with and without vertebral fracture, as this will help with diagnosis of this important condition. In addition, we don’t know exactly what components of ‘physical quality of life’ are reduced in women with vertebral fractures. It would be important to find this out, because then we could provide more specific treatment which should improve quality of life.
  Aim
  In the current study we aim to (1) explore the descriptions of back pain in women with and without vertebral fractures; and (2) to identify the specific components of physical activity that are reduced in women with vertebral fractures.
  Methods
  We will invite all older women who had an upper back X-ray (thoracic spinal radiograph) at North Bristol NHS Trust in the previous three months to take part in this study. We will do this over an 18 month period. We are aiming for 220 women to take part. Based on a previous study we have done, about one third of these women will have vertebral fractures, and two-thirds will have wear and tear arthritis in their back. Data will be collected on pain and physical activity using self-completion questionnaires based on previous research. Differences in pain and physical activity between those women with and without vertebral fractures will be identified by statistical analyses.

• REC name

  North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2

• REC reference

  16/NS/0110

• Date of REC Opinion

  13 Oct 2016

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion