Low Back Pain, fibromyalgia and endometriosis are hidden disorders in our society. Invisible complaints that have a high impact on quality of life and functioning of patients. It also leads to tremendous economic burden. Our fields of research interests, amongst others, concern:
Our group contains different research projects.
The Groningen Spine Cohort is a multidisciplinary cohort of patients with low back pain. In analogy to Lifelines, we follow this cohort of over 1600 patients for 10 years. We have identified patterns of subgroups of patients with low back pain that respond to therapy in differing ways. After 10 years, we hope to get more insight in the health status, quality of life and additional, in costs related to low back pain.
Patients with advanced cancer often suffer from severe, treatment-resistant pain. For some of these patients, especially those in the palliative phase, traditional pain management strategies are no longer effective or give to many side effects. Percutaneous cervical cordotomy (PCC) is a specialized minimally invasive procedure that can offer rapid and significant pain relief by disrupting pain-conducting pathways in the spinal cord. Our studies aim to systematically evaluate the effectiveness, safety, technique, and patient-reported outcomes of PCC in daily clinical practice. By collecting quantitative and qualitative data in our own department and in international multicenter studies, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of how this intervention affects pain intensity, quality of life, and functional outcomes in a real-world setting. Towards the future, we aim to develop a new video-assisted technique to improve the precision and safety of the procedure, along with educational and collaborative efforts to expand clinical expertise in this nowadays underused technique. Through this work, we hope to provide better care options for patients with intractable cancer pain and to contribute to the responsible, evidence-based implementation of cordotomy in modern palliative pain medicine.
Thom A.H. Eshuis; Hans Timmerman; Ruud Stellema; Egbert J.M. Klarenbeek; Anna K.L. Reyners; André P. Wolff. Percutane chordotomie bij oncologische pijn.Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2025;169:D8279
Radboudumc, Amsterdam UMC (locatie VUmc), Erasmus MC, Maastricht UMC, Leiden UMC, St. Antonius Ziekenhuis, Deventer Ziekenhuis, Bravis Ziekenhuis, Maasstad Ziekenhuis, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg (ZOL, Belgium), Ziekenhuis Aan de Stroom (ZAS, Belgium).
My research is an overlap of the fields of cannabinoid-based medicines (CBM), pain and dermatology. I have been studying the rare genetic blistering skin condition, epidermolysis bullosa, and the impact of CBMs on severe pain and itch in patients with this condition. Having highlighted several case-series and cross-sectional studies on the use of CBM, I have ongoing investigations at the cellular level as well as in the form of a clinical trial to be completed in 2022. The lead investigators in my research are Prof. dr. André Wolff (Anaesthesiology Pain Center), and Dr. Marieke Bolling (Dermatology)
Disability due to cervical radiculopathy has a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life, particularly because most patients participate in the community’s labour force. Cervical radiculopathy due to discogenic or spondylotic stenosis of the neuroforamen can be surgically treated by an anterior discectomy with fusion (ACDF) or a posterior foraminotomy (FOR). Currently, there are no evidence-based guidelines on the most appropriate surgical treatment strategy. In the Netherlands, there is a surgeon’s preference for ACDF. However, there is evidence that FOR is as effective as ACDF, has a smaller complication rate and is less expensive. The study objectives of the FACET study are to compare clinical outcome (decrease of radiculopathy in VAS ARM pain and Odom's criteria), complication rates, cost-effectiveness and work absenteeism with a non-inferiority hypothesis of FOR to ACDF.
In the initial referral process for patients with (chronic) low back pain (LBP), patients are currently asked to fill out various questionnaires. Based on these responses, physician assistants aim to triage patients to the most optimal treatment modality, including surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation or pain anaesthesiology, or to provide the patient with advise and possible referral to primary care (e.g. physiotherapy). This process is based on best practice and there appears a substantial variation in triaging between physician. The aim of this study is to make the triaging process more evidence based by creating a data driven machine learning clinical decision support tool to 1): identify what treatment works for which patients and 2) create a decision support tool to help physician assistants in their triaging process. This study is being conducted in close collaboration with the University of Oldenburg in Germany. Results will be expected in 2022.
Chronic pain has a huge impact in the Ems-Dollard-Region and leads to a significant reduction in citizens' perceived health and quality of life, as well as economic consequences and absenteeism. A recently conducted study on the German and Dutch sides of the Ems-Dollard-Region revealed insufficient quality of care and limited cooperation between and within the German and Dutch sides on pain care. This shows clear starting points for an effective prevention strategy. The common goal of this consortium is to reduce the impact of chronic pain in the Ems-Dollard Region through effective prevention and treatment.
We will carry out this project with and for citizens, patients and professionals in the region to take long-term improvements in promoting pain-literacy in the region and to ensure relevance and accessibility. We will do this through a number of substantive activities: 1. In this project, we will set up a prevention campaign among the general public to create awareness and support citizens in understanding pain and learning strategies to manage it through lifestyle adaptations and how to deal with medication (e.g. addictive opiates or anti-inflammatories). We will also address specific groups, namely sports clubs, companies with heavy physical work, and children. 2. Joint educational programmes will be set up for pain professionals in primary and secondary care to learn from each other and share best practices on both sides of the border. 3. We will establish a care pathway to ensure the best treatment for patients on both sides of the border, because pain does not stop at borders, we create joint solutions and we will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and transferability of our activities, to ensure long-term improvements and the possibility to expand this model to other regions.
UMCG leidt grootschalige preventiecampagne over chronische pijn
Frisius Medisch Centrum, Treant Ziekenhuizen, Samenwerkingsverband Pijnpatienten naar één Stem, Transcare, Universtiteit Oldenburg, Klinikum Oldenburg, Schmerzzentrum Leer, Marienkrankenhaus Papenburg Aschendorf.
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major global health concern with significant personal and economic burdens. Non-surgical minimally invasive treatments, such as epidural steroid injections (ESIs), are commonly used to provide symptom relief, yet their effectiveness remains variable. Emerging evidence highlights that psychosocial factors such as pain beliefs, emotional distress, and maladaptive coping may significantly affect their effectiveness, emphasizing the relevance of the biopsychosocial model in pain care. However, little is known about these influences in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
This project adopts a comprehensive, multi-phase approach to investigate how psychosocial and cognitive factors predict treatment outcomes in CLBP patients. It includes: A systematic review of psychosocial predictors of pain and disability following non-surgical minimally invasive treatments for CLBP; translation and validation of pain assessment questionnaires; a cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about chronic pain; and a prospective cohort study assessing their role in post-ESI outcomes.
By providing validated tools and contextualized insights, this research aims to inform tailored pain neuroscience education interventions and support patient-centered care in LMICs, ultimately improving treatment outcomes for CLBP.
American University of Beirut Medical Center-Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Lebanon.
Chronic pain strongly impacts individuals, their social environment, and society as a whole. The transition from acute to chronic pain is complex and multifactorial, including physiological, behavioral, and social elements. Emotional distress plays a significant role in this transition, though the supporting evidence is mainly indirect. It is assumed that pain thresholds decrease under stress, but how these mechanisms work or how best to target them is unknown.
In this project, we aim to improve our understanding of the transition from acute to chronic pain from a neurophysiological stress perspective. First, we will review relevant literature to create a causal loop diagram based on a complex systems approach. Second, we will examine the mediating role of emotional stress on physiological and psychophysical markers of pain in an experimental longitudinal case-control study. By combining measures of peripheral and central pain processing mechanisms, we strive to develop a personalized prediction model that better identifies individuals most at risk of developing chronic pain.
Publication: Bakker-Bons M, Hijmering RMJ, Soer R, Wolff AP. The association between preoperative anxiety and chronic postsurgical pain after general anaesthesia, a systematic review and meta-analyses. BJA Open 2025, 16 (G): 100487. Doi: 10.1016/j.bjao.2025.100487
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Department of Anesthesiology
PO Box 30.001
9700 RB Groningen
The Netherlands
Visiting address
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Department of Anesthesiology
Hanzeplein 1
9713 GZ Groningen
