Do you have Chronic Low Back Pain?

Are you between the age of 18 and 80 years of age and experiencing low back pain and/or leg pain that is bad enough for your daily routines for 3 months or more? Are you between the age of 18 and 80 years of age and have no history of experiencing low back pain in the last 12 months?

Dr. George Katselis and his research team are looking for 30 participants who have chronic low back pain and 20 healthy participants to participate in a research study at the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan where they investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the use of protein marker profiles as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for chronic low back pain.

Eligible participants will complete questionnaires about low back pain and their health, undergo a physical examination with a physical therapist, and have a single blood sample drawn by a phlebotomist. All participants will be provided with information about their pain and management recommendations. The study will also look at the relationship between the blood protein marker profiles and physical examination findings between individuals with chronic low back pain and the asymptomatic individuals.

Your participation in this study will require 1.5 hours of your time, with each of the activities mentioned above requiring approximately 30 minutes each. Each of the activities will be completed at the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture (CCHSA), Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.

Participants will receive a $10 Tim Horton’s gift card once all paper and blood works have finished and will be reimbursed for the cost of parking at Royal University Hospital and/or the University of Saskatchewan Health Sciences Building. Funding support for this research study has been provided by the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. This study has been reviewed by and received approval from the Research Ethics Office, University of Saskatchewan.

For more information about this study, contact:
George Katselis, Principal Investigator
Department of Medicine / CCHSA, College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1397
george.katselis@usask.ca