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Example of two pain drawings of patients with sciatica. The first patient has pain going from the groin area to the foot. The second patient has pain going from the lower back to the foot. The distribution of pain can vary substantially between patients.
Examples of pain drawings in patients with sciatica. The distribution of pain can vary substantially between patients.

BE PART OF A RESEARCH STUDY THAT AIMS TO FIND OUT WHY SOME PEOPLE WITH SCIATICA DEVELOP CHRONIC PAIN

Sciatica is a common condition and is caused by injured or irritated nerves in the lower back. Sciatica causes pain, tingling or weakness in the leg. Whereas many people with sciatica recover, some develop persistent pain or symptoms. Our study investigates whether we can predict who will recover and who will continue to have persistent pain.

DO YOU HAVE SCIATICA?

We are looking for people with sciatica that started less than 3 months ago (or a new episode of sciatica that started less than 3 months ago). Participation involves 2-3 appointments at the John Radcliffe Hospital (first appointment 2-3 hours). You will undergo a detailed neurological examination, questionnaires, and tests for your nerve function. We will also take a blood and a small skin sample to determine associations between pain and the integrity of your nerve fibres. Some participants will also be invited to return for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of their lower back (~2 hours). We would then send you monthly pain diaries for 1 year (as emails or electronic surveys) as well as a more detailed questionnaire at 3 and 12 months, and a follow up appointment at the John Radcliffe (~1.5hrs) 12 months after your initial study appointment to understand how you recover from your sciatica. Travel expenses for all visits are covered.

If you are interested in participating, please contact us using the information below.

HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Healthy people without back or leg pain are needed for our study. Participation involves 1-2 appointments at the John Radcliffe Hospital (1.5-2 hours). You will undergo a detailed neurological examination, questionnaires, and tests for your nerve function. We will also take a blood and a small skin sample to determine associations between pain and the integrity of your nerve fibres. Some healthy volunteers will also be invited to return for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of their lower back (~2 hours). Travel expenses for all visits are covered. If you wish to participate in our study, please contact us using the information below.

Key dates

Official Project Launch: 17/05/2022

Recruitment

Recruitment progress so far (last updated 07/02/24)

 

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Study Publications:

The FORECAST Protocol Paper has now been published! This can be accessed here:

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e072832

 

  

 

CONTACT

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For more information, please contact the FORECAST study team on:

Email: forecast@ndcn.ox.ac.uk

Phone: 01865 234543           ext: 34543

 Ethics Ref: 18/SC/0263

 

Funded by the Advanced Pain Discovery Platform (APDP): advanced-pain-discovery-platform-apdp

Part of PAINSTORM: painstorm