Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects

Spinal pain is one of the most commonly reported forms of discomfort in the average workforce, leading to decreased quality of life, time away from work, and dramatic effects on performance. Health Canada estimates that musculoskeletal disorders, including back pain, cost society a total of $16.4 billion in direct (treatment and rehabilitation) costs and lost productivity. A parallel study reports more than $62 billion in lost productivity in the United States due to back pain, along with headaches and arthritis. Spinal injection of drugs has been an efficacious and safe approach to management. These injections are currently performed under the guidance of ionizing radiation-based imaging techniques, namely Computed Tomography (CT) and fluoroscopy, in specialized clinics, with often long wait times. Such clinics are also not widely available in non-metropolitan and rural areas. To alleviate these problems, this proposal explores the feasibility of performing the spinal injections in an office or less-specialized facilities. We bring together outstanding expertise in clinical sciences with investigators in computer science, from two leading institutions in computer-assisted surgery, to improve the management of spinal pain using ultrasound, under safe non-radiological imaging. We will develop and combine advanced ultrasound image processing techniques with fast, robust ultrasound to CT/MRI image registration algorithms to accurately inject needles in the spinal column. The research has the potential to make common procedures, such as nerve blocks and facet joint injections, available in an office environment using simple, robust, and affordable techniques. The system will also be applicable to the management of other musculoskeletal problems and for guiding needles for soft tissue biopsy (e.g., liver and kidney biopsies). The skills gained by the participants (including one postdoctoral fellow and three graduate students) will provide invaluable experience of interest to industry, government research labs and academia.