Revisiting the Corticomotor Plasticity in Low Back Pain: Challenges and Perspectives

Abstract

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a recurrent debilitating condition that costs billions to society. Refractoriness to conventional treatment, lack of improvement, and associated movement disorders could be related to the extensive brain plasticity present in this condition, especially in the sensorimotor cortices. This narrative review on corticomotor plasticity in CLBP will try to delineate how interventions such as training and neuromodulation can improve the condition. The review recommends subgrouping classification in CLBP owing to brain plasticity markers with a view of better understanding and treating this complex condition.

Keywords

• chronic low back pain
• brain
• plasticity
• motor cortex
• subgrouping
• motor control exercise
• neuromodulation
• transcranial magnetic stimulation
• repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation
• spine