New and old are coming together in a bid to develop new treatments for chronic back pain. Spines of 40 skeletons (some up to 100 years old) are being examined and data from them entered into an innovative computer modelling system. The aim is to create models of all the possible variations seen in human spines which will aid the development of future treatments for back pain and associated disorders. These computer models will be used to create ‘virtual’ spines which could reduce the development time of new treatments as new products can be tested on the computer model to see how effective they may be. These virtual spines also have the advantage of being infinitely reusable thereby reducing the current need for multiple donor spines for each new product test.

The ultimate goal of the project is to produce computer models which can be used to pinpoint the most suitable treatments for an individual. So next time you feel a twinge in your back, say a quick thank you to the old bones that soon may help your pain disappear.