# Low Back Pain in Parkinson Disease

> **NIH NIH K23** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $113,074

## Abstract

Project Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent secondary condition in Parkinson disease (PD), affecting up to 74%
of patients. In the general population, LBP causes significant morbidity, but the effect of LBP in patients with
PD is not well understood and treatment options are lacking. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs provide
insufficient pain relief. Opioid pain medications are addictive and may worsen PD manifestations like cognitive
impairment and constipation. Surgery has high failure and complication rates in PD. Consequently, LBP is
often not addressed. Physical therapy effectively reduces LBP in the general population and may provide an
effective treatment option for LBP in patients with PD. However, people with PD have disease-specific
characteristics that warrant consideration in treatment development. As such, tailoring physical therapy for LBP
in PD requires a better understanding of the multi-factorial nature of LBP in this population.
The overall goal of this cross-sectional investigation is to comprehensively characterize LBP in PD. We will
determine whether and how factors known to contribute to LBP (e.g., biomechanical, sensory, and psychologic
impairments) differ between people with PD and older adults. Further, we will explore how these impairments
contribute to LBP-related disability in people with PD. Our central hypothesis is that LBP in PD is different (i.e.,
greater severity of biomechanical, sensory, and psychologic impairments) from LBP in older adults. This
investigation complements NCMRR’s mission to enhance health and quality of life in people with disabilities by
beginning to understand LBP in PD. This study will help to inform the development of effective interventions to
address it. Dr. Duncan’s career goal is to understand and ultimately prevent or reduce the burden of secondary
musculoskeletal pain conditions in people with primary neurologic disease. Dr. Duncan’s career development
plan will focus on education in the following areas: 1) the multi-factorial nature of pain from a clinical
perspective, 2) the interaction between pain and PD, and 3) advanced statistics (e.g., multiple regression
modeling). Dr. Duncan will receive mentorship from Dr. Joel Perlmutter and Dr. Linda Van Dillen, who are
world-renowned experts in PD and LBP, respectively. This investigation will take place at Washington
University in St. Louis School of Medicine, an internationally acclaimed research institution. The Movement
Disorders Center, which follows more than 2,500 people with PD, will provide more than sufficient access to
the sample required for this investigation. Information gained from this study will lay the foundation for
development of therapeutic interventions for LBP in PD, which may reduce disability and improve quality of life.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9870586
- **Project number:** 1K23HD100569-01
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ryan P Duncan
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $113,074
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-10 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9870586

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9870586, Low Back Pain in Parkinson Disease (1K23HD100569-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9870586. Licensed CC0.

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