Spotlight on back pain
The vast majority of people will have a sore back at some point in their lives. But can you do anything to avoid it? And what should you do when your back is still cracking or starts to ache? Meet the researchers who study lower back pain – and their patients.
Photo: GettyimagesEven healthy backs ache
Back pain is so common that it’s considered part of life. Up to 80% of people are estimated to experience lower back pain at some point in their lifetime.
Photo: Mattias AhlmWhen the pain itself is the illness
Eva Kosek has been researching pain mechanisms for many years. Now she and her colleagues have developed criteria for calling in so-called nociplastic pain. It is a condition in which pain is not just a symptom but a disease in itself.
Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/TTA Nobel Prize with significance for pain research
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 has been awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.” Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interaction with the world around us.
Photo: Jonas Malmström."I'm glad it's over"
When Mia Yombi was expecting her second child, she had extreme pelvic girdle pain and went on sick leave around week 25. Immediately after the birth, she suffered less pain and is today fully recovered.
Photo: Karin Törnblom.“I hope to be pain-free in the future”
Nicole Falciani was diagnosed with childhood rheumatism when she was twelve years old and mostly has low back problems. Nicole tells how she today uses exercise as pain relief.
Photo: Emelie Asplund.“Less pain is good enough for me”
When Karl Rosenqvist was 23 years old, he got low back pain. Despite his severe pain, it was not taken seriously, because of the pain he now receives sickness compensation.