Measurement of back muscle stiffness using elastography v.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Measurement of Spinal Muscle Stiffness in People with Low Back Pain by Magnetic Resonance Elastography
IRAS ID
252139
Contact name
Stephanie Valentin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of Scotland
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem that limits people in their daily life and causes a large financial burden on health services. The most common type of back pain is non-specific LBP, where no identifiable causes are found on imaging, or a mismatch exists between imaging and clinical symptoms. It is still unknown why some people develop chronic LBP. We do know, however, that the back muscles of people with LBP can change, for example the back muscles can alter in size, contain increased fat, or change in activity. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can be used to determine physical characteristics of muscles. A special type of MRI measurement, called Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE), is a non-invasive way to determine tissue stiffness. Knowing tissue stiffness is useful as it can provide information about tissue pathology. MRE has been used to determine the stiffness of organs, muscles of the limbs, and spinal discs, but MRE has not yet been used to study the muscles of the low back. Therefore this project will be the first to use MRE for the evaluation of back muscle stiffness in people with LBP and people without LBP. The findings from this pilot study will form a foundation for a larger grant application where MRE will be used alongside other muscle measurements (composition, activity) in the same LBP population, to identify which parameters may be predictors for chronic LBP development.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0489
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion