More than 20 years ago, Gregory Hicks began a mission to help older adults who live with chronic low back pain.
Today, he is a Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, and his passion for this work is stronger than ever.
When Hicks first started his research, very few studies in the United States looked at back pain in people over 60. Even now, older adults are still often left out of medical research.
Hicks believes that growing older should not mean getting less care. He wants to make sure that seniors with pain get the attention and support they need. Just like race and income can affect how people are treated by the health system, Hicks says age can also lead to unfair treatment. That’s why he is working hard to improve care for older adults who suffer from back pain.
With help from the National Institute on Aging, Hicks led a big study from 2019 to 2022 to find better ways to treat older adults with both low back pain and hip problems. The study was called the MASH Trial, which stands for Manual Therapy and Strengthening the Hip. He worked together with teams from Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh.
The study included 184 participants, all aged 60 or older, who had ongoing back pain along with hip weakness. They were randomly placed into two groups.
One group received physical therapy focused on the hips, and the other group received therapy focused on the spine. Both groups went through eight weeks of treatment at different locations, including the University of Delaware.
The researchers measured how much pain the people felt, how well they could walk, and how easily they could get up from a chair. Both types of therapy helped people walk faster, which is very important for staying active and independent.
But the group that received hip-focused therapy had even better results. They had less trouble doing daily tasks and performed better in strength and balance tests.
Although the bigger differences between the two groups faded after six months, the early improvements in the hip group were clear. These findings were published in the journal The Lancet Rheumatology.
Hicks has spent many years studying the link between back pain and hip weakness. In an earlier study, he followed older adults with back pain for a full year and saw that poor hip strength made pain and movement problems worse.
Based on this, Hicks believes that not all back pain is the same. He says that treatment should be based on each person’s needs, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
This idea is called precision medicine or precision rehabilitation. Hicks is even using artificial intelligence to group people with similar types of back pain so they can get the best treatment for their condition.
Looking ahead, Hicks plans to run more clinical trials. He wants to fine-tune hip-based therapy and also explore new ways to treat other kinds of back pain in seniors. His work is changing how doctors think about pain in older people.
Chronic low back pain is the top cause of disability around the world, and many older adults suffer from it every day. It makes it harder to move, work, and enjoy life. Hicks wants to change that. He believes every person deserves good care, no matter how old they are.
Hicks’s research not only helps reduce pain but also gives older adults new hope. It reminds us that seniors should be included in medical studies and that their pain deserves attention. With better treatment options like hip-focused physical therapy, older adults may be able to move more freely and live more comfortably.
Other studies are also looking at new ideas, like using krill oil to help muscle health in seniors. As research grows, there may be more options to ease pain and improve life for older adults.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage your back pain, and Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to live pain-free with arthritis, and results showing common native American plant may help reduce diarrhea and pain.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
