Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31307372›Full record

SynthesisThe journal of headache and pain2019

The association between headache and low back pain: a systematic review.

Arani Vivekanantham, Claire Edwin, Tamar Pincus, Manjit Matharu, Helen Parsons, Martin Underwood

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The journal of headache and pain, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07567300 (From Mechanisms to Clinical Evidence), which is not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
3.9field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07567300 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

From Mechanisms to Clinical Evidence: A Cross-Sectional Study of Common Pain Mechanisms in Migraine, Migraine-Related Neck Pain, and Lower Back Pain

Typeobservational_patient_registrySponsorBozok UniversityRan2026 to 2026Enrolled179ConditionsNeck Pain, Migraine, Low Back Pain
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  20. Non-Specific Low Back Pain, Dietary Salt Intake, and Posterior Lumbar Subcutaneous Edema.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Arani VivekananthamUniversity of Warwick, Coventry, UK. a.vivekanantham@doctors.org.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4605-6598
Claire EdwinUniversity of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
Tamar PincusRoyal Holloway University of London, London, UK.
Manjit MatharuUniversity College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
Helen ParsonsWarwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
Martin UnderwoodUniversity Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust · GBNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery · GBRoyal Holloway University of London · GBUniversity of Warwick · GB

Funding

Department of Health RP-PG-1212-20018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo systematically review studies quantifying the association between primary chronic headaches and persistent low back pain (LBP). MAIN TEXT: We searched five electronic databases. We included case-control, cross-sectional and cohort studies that included a headache and back pain free group, reporting on any association between persistent LBP and primary headache disorders. Methodological quality was assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Our primary outcome was the association between primary headache disorders and persistent LBP. Our secondary outcomes were any associations between severity of LBP and severity of headache, and the relationship between specific headache sub-types classified as per International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria and persistent LBP. We included 14 studies. The sizes of the studies ranged from 88 participants to a large international study with 404, 206 participants. Odds ratios for the association were between 1.55 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.11) and 8.00 (95% CI 5.3-12.1). Study heterogeneity meant statistical pooling was not possible. Only two studies presented data investigating persistent LBP and chronic headache disorders in accordance with ICDH criteria.

conclusionsWe identified a positive association between persistent LBP and primary headache disorders. The quality of the review findings is limited by diversity of populations, study designs and uncertainly about headache and LBP definitions.

trial registrationPROSPERO 2018 CRD42018086557 .

Indexed as

AdultCase-Control StudiesCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHeadacheHumansLow Back PainMaleOdds RatioChronic pain syndromesEpidemiologyPersistent low back painPrimary chronic headaches

Identifiers

PMID31307372
PMCPMC6734435
OpenAlexW2960967969

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.