[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 147 (Friday, September 20, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E933]
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

                       Friday, September 20, 2024

  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 6 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.
  This past year, the Foundation formed an Opioid and Spine Health Task 
Force. Chronic low back pain is one of the most common types of chronic 
pain in adults worldwide. The goal of the Task Force is providing 
people suffering from back pain with information on effective 
alternatives to opioid use that can help them reduce and manage pain.
  The Foundation also has formed a Spine & Bone Health Task Force. 
Osteoporosis is at epidemic levels in our nation, and it causes 
debilitating fractures in the spine more than anywhere else in the 
body. In response to this epidemic that affects both women and men, 
which occurs at younger ages than ever before, this Task Force is 
addressing the need for patient education by creating digital and 
internet resources, free to the public. In addition, NSHF has conducted 
independent research to determine better ways of diagnosing 
osteoporosis in spine patients who need surgery, and this research has 
won the highest award, being named ``Best Paper'' by the North American 
Spine Society.
  The Foundation continues to be strongly committed to spine health 
research. Patient reported outcomes have long 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 and thanking the NSHF and the health 
care providers who help spine and neck patients, not just in October, 
but all year long.

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