012- Life Course of Back Pain and Pediatric Chiropractic with Dr. Lise Hestbæk

In this episode Dr. Hestbæk discusses her research involving the life course of back pain and her focus on pediatric chiropractic.  Lise Hestbæk, DC, PhD, received her chiropractic degree in 1990 from Palmer College of Chiropractic. She was a practising chiropractor from 1991-2007 and from 1997 to 2007 was involved in part-time research, mostly at the Back Research Center in Ringe, Denmark. She received her Ph.D. in 2003 on a thesis about high-risk groups and risk factors for low back pain in children and adolescents. Since 2008 she has been an associate professor at University of Southern Denmark and senior researcher at the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics. Her research focuses on two specific areas: 1. Musculoskeletal health in children and adolescence and; 2. Lifetime epidemiology of back pain.

See Lise’s publications here.

Here is the link to one of Lise’s free full text publications on musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents as mentioned in the podcast.

“Results: Rates of self-reported MSK pain in adolescents are similar to those in adult populations and they are typically higher in teenage girls than boys. Epidemiological research has identified conditions such as back and neck pain as major causes of disability in adolescents, and in up to a quarter of cases there are impacts on school or physical activities. A range of physical, psychological and social factors have been shown to be associated with MSK pain report, but the strength and direction of these relationships are unclear. There are few validated instruments available to quantify the nature and severity of MSK pain in children, but some show promise. Several national surveys have shown that adolescents with MSK pain commonly seek care and use medications for their condition. Some studies have revealed a link between MSK pain in adolescents and chronic pain in adults.

BULLET POINTS

• The prevalence of MSK pain approaches adult levels by the end of adolescence.
• Persistent adolescent MSK pain is a risk factor for chronic pain in adulthood.
• MSK pain has substantial impacts in up to 1/4 of cases.
• The relationship of other adverse health risk factors and MSK pain is unclear.
• There is little research to inform clinical management of childhood MSK pain”

Musculoskeletal pain conditions are often recurrent in nature, occurring throughout the life-course. Attempts to understand these conditions at a time close to their initial onset may offer a better chance of developing effective prevention and treatment strategies.”

Click here to find a list of Dr. Hestbæk’s publications on researchgate.

Here is a list of the publications we discuss during this interview: