Physical Exam, Static & Dynamic Ultrasound Assessment, & Treatment of Thoracolumbar Fascia (TLF) Mediated Low Back Pain

This Study is for our continued study of the Thoracolumbar Fascia (TFL) in patients with and without low back pain by our experienced multidisciplinary team: Vincent Wang PhD, VT Biomedical Engineering \& Mechanics (BEAM). Albert J Kozar DO, FAOASM, R-MSK. P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO, FAOASM, FAOCFP. David T. Redden PhD, VCOM Research Biostatistician. Matthew Chung DO, VCOM and Team Physician at Virginia Tech. Edward Magalhaes, PhD, LPC, Psychiatry and Neuro- Behavioral Sciences, VCOM. This listing is specifically for our renewed efforts via two, Department of Defense (DoD) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA), extramurally, simultaneously funded grants for similar but distinct projects. Both funding sources are aware of each other's funding and have approved their grant study moving forward simultaneously with some integration. DoD: Machine Learning Analysis of Ultrasound Images for the Investigation of Thoracolumbar Myofascial Pain and Therapeutic Efficacy of Hydrodissection. The primary objectives of the proposed project are to: 1. develop reliable, quantitative image analysis approaches to objectively distinguish images from subjects with acute or chronic TLF pain from those without pain and 2. to assess the preliminary clinical efficacy of hydrodissection of the TLF as a novel therapeutic treatment for chronic LBP. AOA: Assessment of the Therapeutic Efficacy of OMT on Chronic Low Back Pain: An Integrated Sonographic and Machine Learning Analysis of Thoracolumbar Fascia Glide Impairment. The primary objectives of the proposed project are to: 1. assess the preliminary clinical efficacy of OMT as a therapeutic treatment for CLBP of TLF origin and 2. develop reliable, quantitative image analysis approaches to objectively distinguish images from subjects with TLF pain from those without pain. These projects will share 50 no LBP subjects as controls. The DOD study will include 50 acute LBP and 50 CLBP. The AOA study will include 50 CLBP. This project uses