[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 156 (Tuesday, September 26, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING OCTOBER AS NATIONAL SPINE HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

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                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 26, 2023

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues 
join me in recognizing October as National Spine Health Awareness 
Month.
  In the U.S. 100 million people suffer from neck or back conditions 
every year according to the CDC. Back pain is the number one cause of 
missed workdays, the leading cause of job-related disability and pain 
in the U.S., and the most common non-cancer related reason for an 
opioid prescription in the U.S. In addition, those with back and neck 
pain are four times more likely to become clinically depressed.
  The National Spine Health Foundation located in my district in 
Reston, Virginia, is the only national patient-centered non-profit 
dedicated to helping patients overcome debilitating spinal conditions 
and take back their lives. During the past 5 years, the Foundation has 
renewed its commitment to and has developed award winning patient 
education, advocacy, and research work to give patients the tools they 
need to make informed decisions about their spine health and navigate 
their own treatment journeys with confidence.
  I would like to congratulate the National Spine Health Foundation on 
its award-winning year in patient education and clinical research. NSHF 
received a 2023 Digital Health Award for its patient education videos, 
the E Healthcare Leadership Award for best healthcare podcast, and the 
Global Spine Congress award for best research paper for work on 
examining augmented reality for improving spine surgery. In addition, 
NSHF received the best paper award from the International Society for 
the Advancement of Spine Surgery for their work on the nation's only 
prospective, multi-center spine robotic surgery study.
  The Foundation is strongly committed to spine health research. 
Patient reported outcomes have been part of the fabric of NSHF since 
its inception. As they are deeply invested in supporting evidence-based 
health care decision making, it is important to be part of the process 
of creating the evidence. Their cloud-based research tool called 
`Spine-online' enables them to conduct multi-center studies and partner 
with research teams both in the U.S. and internationally. Active 
studies are currently occurring on robotic surgery, enhanced surgical 
recovery, augmented reality, genetic basis for personalized spine 
treatments, stem cell therapy, and more.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the 
importance of good spinal health, supporting individuals who suffer 
from spinal issues, and thanking the NSHF and the health care providers 
who help not just in October, but all year long.

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