Analysis of National Institutes of Health funding for back pain research in the United States

N Am Spine Soc J. 2025 Dec 5;25:100832. doi: 10.1016/j.xnsj.2025.100832. eCollection 2026 Mar.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of studies investigating the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding priorities for back pain research. This study analyzed the portfolio of NIH research grants awarded for back pain in the United States.

METHODS: NIH grant data were collected from the NIH RePORTER database (2016-2023). Principal investigator (PI) characteristics were collected from academic websites including sex, graduate degree, and academic rank. NIH funding was analyzed for twenty clinical areas and compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) were calculated over the study period. Nonparametric tests were used to compare NIH funding totals by PI characteristics.

RESULTS: From 2016 to 2023, the NIH research budget increased from $31.5 to $45.0 billion (CAGR 5.2%). Annual NIH funding for back pain research increased from $23.3 to $69.0 million (CAGR 17.0%) and totaled $523 million over the study period. Dementia ($19.7 billion, CAGR 19.2%) and diabetes ($8.9 billion, CAGR 1.3%) had the most NIH funding. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (45.0%) was the top funding institute and the R01 was the top funded grant mechanism (32.8%). The clinical areas receiving the most NIH funding for back pain research were pathophysiology (20.2%), social determinants (19.6%), and clinical trial networks (16.3%). Several PI characteristics were associated with higher NIH funding totals for back pain research including PhD degree and full professor rank (p<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Annual NIH funding for back pain research increased over the study period yet remains superseded by other clinical areas. Future coordinated efforts may be needed to stimulate NIH grant funding for back pain research.

PMID:41630857 | PMC:PMC12861183 | DOI:10.1016/j.xnsj.2025.100832