{"id":2794,"date":"2025-05-27T20:17:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T00:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/?p=2794"},"modified":"2025-05-28T10:30:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:30:10","slug":"can-wearable-robotics-offer-real-relief-for-chronic-low-back-pain-without-opioids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/2025\/05\/27\/can-wearable-robotics-offer-real-relief-for-chronic-low-back-pain-without-opioids\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Wearable Robotics Offer Real Relief for Chronic Low Back Pain\u2014Without Opioids?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Low back pain (LBP)\u2014whether acute or chronic\u2014is the leading cause of disability worldwide. At the Neuromotor Recovery Laboratory, we\u2019re pioneering a new approach to LBP management using wearable robotic technology. In a groundbreaking clinical trial conducted in collaboration with Harvard University and the BU Physical Therapy Center (BUPTC), we are testing a soft robotic backpack designed to support the lower back during everyday activities. This innovative device is engineered to reduce pain and improve mobility\u2014without the use of opioids.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Learn more about how we&#8217;re reimagining low back pain management: &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/articles\/2025\/non-opioid-solutions-for-low-back-pain\/\">Finding Non-Opioid Solutions for Low Back Pain<\/a>&#8220;.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment2797\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment2797\" style=\"width: 686px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/nrl\/files\/2025\/05\/25-1184-BUPTC-106_feat-636x425.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"676\" height=\"452\" class=\" wp-image-2797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/files\/2025\/05\/25-1184-BUPTC-106_feat-636x425.jpg 636w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/files\/2025\/05\/25-1184-BUPTC-106_feat-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/files\/2025\/05\/25-1184-BUPTC-106_feat-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/files\/2025\/05\/25-1184-BUPTC-106_feat-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/files\/2025\/05\/25-1184-BUPTC-106_feat.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment2797\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Cydney Scott for Boston University Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Low back pain (LBP)\u2014whether acute or chronic\u2014is the leading cause of disability worldwide. At the Neuromotor Recovery Laboratory, we\u2019re pioneering a new approach to LBP management using wearable robotic technology. In a groundbreaking clinical trial conducted in collaboration with Harvard University and the BU Physical Therapy Center (BUPTC), we are testing a soft robotic backpack [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23332,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23332"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2794"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2816,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794\/revisions\/2816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nrl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}