National Spine Health Foundation Celebrates 20 Years

2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the National Spine Health Foundation (NSHF), the country’s only patient-centered non-profit dedicated to helping patients overcome spine conditions. If you are one of the roughly 100 million Americans grappling with chronic back or neck pain every year, NSHF wants you to know that they have your back.

That’s the name of the organization’s 20th anniversary campaign: “Who’s Got Your Back?”

Background

Reston, Virginia-based NSHF was founded in 2002 by spinal surgeon Thomas Schuler, M.D. and philanthropist Guy Beatty. Since its founding, NSHF has provided patient-centered advocacy and education on spine health. Now, 20 years on, the organization is bigger than ever.

OTW spoke with National Spine Health Foundation Chief Executive Officer Rita Roy, M.D. about NSHF’s remarkable history and contributions to patient spine health.

“The foundation has come a long way in 20 years. We were founded in 2002 by a spine surgeon who was doing research with various industry partners. He had a grateful patient philanthropist who said, ‘You know, we ought to set up a national registry to really look at these outcomes,’ so they established a foundation with the promise of looking at patient outcomes and trying to figure out, do these new technologies really give improvement to patients or not? Let’s educate people so they know that they have choices when it comes to their spinal health.”

Since then, the NSHF has become a national authority in spinal healthcare. The NSHF is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on improving American spine health through research, education, and advocacy. In 2021, the organization successfully advocated for Congress to mark October as Spine Health Awareness Month.

“I helped found the National Spine Health Foundation with the intention of transforming the lives of patients across the country,” said Dr. Schuler, who is also Chairman of the organization’s Medical and Scientific Board. “Twenty years later, I’m proud to say that the Foundation has, and will continue to, achieve this goal.”

While the NSHF intent remains the same, one thing that has evolved over time is the organization name. “We were the Spinal Research Foundation and several years ago we changed our name to the National Spine Health Foundation to reflect all the different things we do, including our advocacy work and our patient education work,” said Dr. Roy.

Landmark Research

Dr. Roy recounted a tradition of NSHF funding pivotal spine research. “The mission was established in 2002 and over the years a couple of landmark papers were published. Most notably, in 2008, a paper called “Minimum clinically important difference in lumbar spine surgery patients,” Roy said. “So, this was a paper that looked at: what is the minimal improvement in a patient’s life that’s required in order to necessitate making a spinal fusion worth it?”

The Foundation also publishes Spine Health Journal, a primarily virtual, biannual research journal designed to target patient education. Cutting edge research is presented in accessible, layman’s terms to promote patient empowerment.

The National Spine Health Foundation combines research with boots-on-the-ground advocacy to help meet spine patient needs in concrete ways. One example is the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) project, aimed to help people heal faster and more efficiently and to reduce hospital stay times. The patient-centered approach is based on evidence taken from observing patient surgical recovery responses. NSHF is combining data with HCA hospitals and early outcomes have shown reduced inpatient stays, reduced narcotic usage, and earlier restoration of bowel and bladder function as well as ambulation.

Even COVID-19 has not deterred the foundation from forging ahead in terms of research. “In the midst of a global pandemic we’ve done some of our most important and most robust work to date,” said Dr. Roy. “I’m really proud to say that here in our 20th anniversary year we are now the lead investigative site on a big, prospective study on robotic surgery. There are six centers involved…. Some of the best, biggest names in spine are contributing to this project. This has all been made possible by our innovation in our spine online tool, which is our data tool.”

Most recently, the Foundation has produced some cutting edge research on the orthosurgical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR). Last year’s AI study marked the first research to validate computer-assisted preoperative measurement assistance in surgery. Preoperative measurement is normally a highly specific skill set that requires extensive training and precision to ensure the ideal implant screw replacement in spinal surgery. In the study, AI was found to be just as effective in terms of accuracy and outcomes.

In another recently published early experimental paper on augmented reality—“this is x-ray vision for surgeons in the OR”—retinal display technology was utilized, which allowed the surgeons to see the deep anatomy below the skin surface, instead of having to look up at a guidance screen. “This really helps to minimize complications,” noted Dr. Roy. The study looked at 218 cases where augmented reality technology was used to implant spine screws. The preliminary results presented evidence of no intraoperative complications and no returns to the OR in the first two weeks after surgery.

Patient Education and Advocacy

The Foundation also knows that patients want to hear from those who have been through the journey they are on. That’s why it has created access to Spinal Champion Advocates. There are people who have had neck or back challenges and are on the other side of recovery, performing the activities they once loved to do.

“What we’ve found is that people really like to hear from people who have gone through something that they are about to go through,” said Roy. “We interview patients. They tell us about their journey.” Spinal Champion Advocates are available to connect with patients who need support. The Foundation even runs a private Back and Neck Pain Patient Support Group on Facebook.

For Dr. Roy, this has personal meaning. Years ago, when she found out she needed a lumbar fusion, she knew that she was educated and medically trained but wanted most to talk to other women who had been through the surgery and recovery to hear how they felt and what it was like. She learned that there was no one to talk to, however. A patient advocacy group didn’t exist, her surgeon informed her. He also told her, “We want to build one. Will you help?” Thus, her involvement in the Foundation mission was born. She brings passion to her role for this reason.

Raising Awareness

“One of the things that we have found, as active members of the NIH [National Institutes of Health] Coalition on Musculoskeletal Disease, or the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative and some of these large groups, is that there is a lack of national attention to musculoskeletal disease in general, but spine even more so,” Dr. Roy said.

“Ironically, spinal conditions affect more than 100 million Americans every year. That’s one in three people who have a problem with their neck or back—and yet if you look at federal research dollars there just aren’t any for spine.”

Part of the NSHF effort to raise awareness has involved modernizing public health approaches via various forms of social media content. “We’re creating a national movement and national awareness about the importance of spinal health,” said Roy.

NSHF has an active website, Facebook, and YouTube channels. In 2020, the NSHF launched a streaming podcast called Get Back to It: Real Stories of Healing and Recovery, a streaming podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of real spine care patients. Dr. Roy narrates as patients share their real spine treatment and recovery tales.

Another Foundation project is Spine Talks, with its mission of “providing unparalleled access to world class experts.” Spine health research and education is presented through video content that patents can really understand. Last summer, NSHF produced a webinar series on artificial disc replacement that attracted close to half a million views. In February, the Foundation will additionally launch an adult spinal deformity round table panel discussion with top experts in the field. It was recorded in New York City, in December.

Looking Ahead

The Foundation plans to use its anniversary campaign to continue to promote the most evidence-based and patient-centered research and education possible.

“We have a medical and scientific board that we developed over the last year and a half that is just comprised of the top spine surgeons in the country. They are leaders in the field, they are presidents of the professional societies, they are highly respected, they are internationally known,” said Dr. Roy. “We’ll be celebrating our medical and scientific board members all through the year, their patient success stories, and also their knowledge that they will be passing on to throughout the Spine Talks programs. That is something we are super excited about.”

To learn more about the National Spine Health Foundation, visit www.spinehealth.org.