Johann Peter Frank (1745-1821) and the Pathogenesis of Back Pain

Johann Peter Frank (1745-1821) is generally known as one of the founders of the modern Hygiene and Public Health. It is less known his contribution in investigating the pathogenesis of spinal disorders. In his "De Vertebralis Columnae in Morbis Dignitate" (1791), Frank first proposed to use the Latin term "rhachialgia" (back pain) to indicate all the painful states of spine. He focused on the "plethora spinali" in the vessels of the spinal cord and its membrane, sustaining that blood congestion was the origin of all the spinal disorders. He also believed that the excess of blood was able to generate a "diffuse inflammation" of vertebral and medullary structures. The innovative concepts developed by Johann Peter Frank demonstrated that he could be worthily considered as a pioneer in the study of spinal disorders.Level of Evidence: 5.