… to be assessed and prevented through personalised computer models and in-silico systems for potential interventions
NLBP is a leading cause for years lived with disability in Europe and worldwide. About 70% of all adults experience NLBP at some point in their lives, and both conditions are among the top ten in terms of overall disease burden expressed as disability adjusted life years. Moreover, low back pain is the leading cause of work absence in Europe and an enormous burden on individuals, industry and governments.
The aim of Back-UP project is to create a prognostic model to support more effective and efficient management of NLBP, based on the digital representation of multidimensional clinical information, and in-silico assessments of possible interventions.
Patient-specific models will provide a personalized evaluation of cases, using multidimensional health data from the following sources:
• Personal, health, psychological, behavioural, and socioeconomic factors related to NLBP
• Biological patient characteristics, including musculoskeletal structures and function, and molecular data
• Workplace and lifestyle risk factors
The outcomes of the system will be:
• Prognostics on recovery probability and time, depending on the administered intervention
• Risk of recurrence after recovery
• Simulation of affected musculoskeletal function during and after recovery
• Costs associated to NLBP management and return to work
The project is funded under Horizon 2020 with 13 European partners from 10 countries and a budget of over 5,1 M €. Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia is the Spanish project coordinator.
CIOP-PIB as a project partner will work on the development of job intervention guidelines for modification of work tasks in a manner that will be conducive to a favourable rehabilitation role in a return-to-work phase as well as defining the costs associated with workplace interventions, in order to feed economic indicators.
