The numbers are quite amazing. At any given time around 31 million people in the US are suffering from low back pain. Many of these people are desperate for answers and have tried every type of solution from meditation to medication and surgery and so much in between.
Unfortunately, as these solutions are researched and tested, many of them are found to be either minimally effective in reducing low back pain, or simply not effective at all.
New Back Pain Treatments Coming To You
Fortunately there are always new products and solutions coming to market as researchers and entrepreneurs strive to find a solution that will bring relief to a large portion of these frustrated consumers. We are going to take a look at 3 new low back pain treatments for 2025. Want to find out what they are? Let's check them out!
Lin
Lin is a remote chronic pain care program that delivers “integrative, personalized, science-based solutions” by pain experts.
A study conducted by Dr Yonia Ashar, PhD. led researchers to believe that chronic pain sufferers could “unlearn” their discomfort in just a few weeks using psychological therapy techniques.
The premise of the study is based on the fact that while previous chronic pain treatments have focused on issues with the body, the authors of the study believed that treatment should focus on the brain and how it experiences pain.
The researchers set out to see if the brain could generate pain in the absence of an injury, or after an injury has healed, and if people can unlearn that pain. What they found was exactly that.
Is Pain-Free Possible?
The study followed 151 men and women who were suffering from back pain and tracked them for a period of 6 months. They all took part in a 4 week psychological treatment called Pain Reprocessing Therapy which included 8 one hour sessions. After treatment two thirds of the study participants were pain-free, or nearly pain-free and most of them remained pain free for one year.
Dr. Ashar explains that “by thinking about pain as safe rather than threatening, patients can alter the brain networks reinforcing the pain, and neutralize it”. Lin works by doing a thorough assessment of users in order to make an accurate diagnosis on understanding where and how the brain is contributing to chronic, persistent pain. This diagnosis allows the Lin team to adjust treatment approaches where structural or inflammatory concerns are present as well.
How Does Lin Health Work?
Lin Health is a web-based app available to patients anywhere in the US. You can also access Lin directly through your web browser, making it available for desktop, laptop, tablets, or mobile.
Lin gives you access to a multidisciplinary healthcare team, including general practitioners, psychologists, and pain specialists. With Lin you have a daily care plan along with a personal mentor and remote support services. They will guide you through your chronic pain journey from diagnosis to treatment and recovery.
Benefits Of Lin Health
Unlimited access to a personal coach via messaging, video chats, or voice calls.
A 30 minute real-time consultation with a pain management specialist.
A customized daily care plan for issues like sleep hygiene, remote physical therapy, and weight management.
Prescriptions for supplements and medications delivered directly to you, or available for pick up from your pharmacy.
A library of informative videos and podcasts.
Costs for Lin range from $39 per month to $89 and you can cancel at any time.
VX-548 - Suzetrigene
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is working on developing a new drug, currently called "VX-548 or Suzetrigene. This drug "relieves moderate to severe pain, blocking pain signals before they can get to the brain".
This new approach to pain only work on peripheral nerves such as the ones found outside the brain and the spinal cord.
In January 2024, the company announced positive Phase 3 trial results for treating acute pain which then led to the FDA granting a rolling NDA (New Drug Application) submission for suzetrigine in patients with moderate-to-severe acute pain.
Vertex has started this approval process and is on track to finish up with the submission before the end of 2024.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a treatment that is gaining in popularity when it comes to managing lower back pain. Biofeedback aims to help users gain control over the psychological processes involved in chronic pain conditions, such as low back pain. It is a useful tool in both cognitive behavioral treatments as well as physical therapy.
Fortunately biofeedback is well supported by the medical community as it has shown effectiveness in clinical trials with little to no concerns around side effects or harm to users.
The EAU guidelines on Chronic Pelvic Pain state that “biofeedback is the preferred treatment for chronic anal pain” and that it can “improve the outcome of myofascial therapy as an adjuvant to muscles exercises in patients with ….pelvic floor dysfunction”. The NIH has also approved it for use in certain chronic conditions.
How Does Biofeedback Work?
Biofeedback is a mind-body technique that helps users learn how to change their physiological responses to pain. Special electrical sensors gather information from your body and help you to change your responses to certain activities and sensations.
Several companies are developing their own individual solutions with differences in technology and overall programs but overall these companies are all using biofeedback in some form or another.
Hinge Health, Sword Health, Kaia Health and LivaFortis are all working with unique biofeedback solutions aimed at reducing lower back pain and other musculo-skeletal conditions. These solutions are often offered in the form of digital physical therapy treatments.
Clinical Research On Biofeedback For Back Pain
One study, published in 2021 in the Nature Partner Journals looked at the use of a 12 week digital care program that used sensor-guided exercise therapy along with cognitive behavioral therapy.
The study found that “subject-reported pain and disability significantly improved compared to a control group undergoing treatment-as-usual”. The study also found that people in the treatment group showed significantly less interest in surgery than those in the treatment-as-usual group.
Given the very low risk to patients and the promising data that is now being published with regards to biofeedback programs, we expect that this will be an area that low back pain sufferers will want to watch with interest and ultimately probably want to participate in.
Conclusions
In the quest to find effective solutions for low back pain, it’s clear that the landscape is evolving with new and innovative treatments. While traditional methods like medication and surgery have their place, emerging therapies such as Lin Health’s psychological approach, Vertex’s VX-548, and biofeedback are paving the way for more personalized and less invasive options.
These advancements offer hope to the millions of Americans struggling with persistent back pain, providing alternatives that focus on the mind-body connection, innovative drug development, and cutting-edge technology.
As research continues and more clinical data becomes available, these new treatments have the potential to transform how we understand and manage low back pain, offering relief to those who have long been searching for answers. Keep an eye on these developments, as they might just hold the key to a pain-free future.
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