LONDON, Sept 23: The answer to ease your back pain may lie in your genes and not in the posture.
Scientists have identified a gene flaw linked to the spinal disc problems that are a common cause of lower back pain, paving way for new treatments for the condition.
The UK study looked at 4,600 people and found the PARK2 gene was linked to age-related disc problems.
A third of middle-aged women have problems with at least one spinal disc and the condition is known to be inherited in up to 80 per cent of patients.
Experts said finding the gene could lead to new treatments being developed, the ‘BBC News’ reported.
The King’s College London researchers carried out MRI scans of all those in the study and looked at differences in their genetic make-up.
They found variants of the PARK2 gene appeared to have an effect in people with degenerate discs and influence the speed at which their condition deteriorated.
“We know that people whose discs wear out are at increased risk of episodes of lower back pain, but normal human discs are hard to get hold of to study so until now our knowledge of normal human biology was incomplete,” Dr Frances Williams, of the department of twin research and genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, said.
“Further work by disc researchers to define the role of the PARK2 gene will, we hope, shed light on one of most important causes of lower back pain,” said Williams.
During the condition, discs become dehydrated and lose height, and the vertebrae next to them develop bony growths called osteophytes, leading to lower back pain.
The findings are published in the journal ‘Rheumatic Diseases’. (PTI)
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