Pain Medicine

Biography

Biography: Enrique Latorre Marques

Abstract

Low back pain is one of the most prevalent diseases and generates great amounts of health costs. During the last 30 years different efforts from National Health Services around the world have been intended to minimize overuse of health resources and obtain better results not only in symptoms and functional status but finally in the quality of life.Clinical Guidelines pretend this goals from 30 years ago, however new techniques e.g. Neuromodulation have reached in the last ten years high levels of efficacy in the treatment when others have failed.IASP (International Association for Study of Pain) created two years ago the special Interest group on Neuromodulation whit interdisciplinary basis integrated for scientist and professionals interested in this area. Goals are not only investigation but clinical application. On another hand The European Union created in 2000 the COST projects (Co-Directorate from European Commission) that pretends around a panel of experts obtain better results in the most prevalent areas ofhealth. One of this was “The COST B 13 project for Low back Pain Management” that launched from 2001 to 2005 “The Clinical Guidelines for its Management”. The Spanish Working Group adapted, completed and also included the Neuromodulation in their clinical guideline of management based on scientific evidence.Today we have an interesting focus of discussion around National Health Systems (in Europe is universal and public, it differs for example to USA that it is private) about high cost of Neuromodulation and scenary of economic crisis. We need investigate and generate studies that obtain results in outcomes, cost-effectiveness and put the Neuromodulation in the right place. For this reason, IASP SIG on Neuromodulation include between their goals create The Scientific Based Guideline for Management of Neuromodulation in Chronic and Failed Back Pain because it is one of the emergent areas.