Jan Hartvigsen, professor at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and senior researcher at the Chiropractic Knowledge Hub, is part of the project’s interdisciplinary research group.
“We know that melatonin helps with sleep disorders. Many people have likely had good experiences with it, for example in connection with jet lag. We also know that a good night’s sleep alleviates pain, and smaller studies suggest that melatonin itself may have a pain-relieving effect. That’s the rationale behind the trial,” says Jan Hartvigsen.
“We are including 220 participants both with and without sleep disorders. This will allow us to determine whether melatonin works by improving sleep or has a more general effect on chronic back pain, even in people without sleep problems—if it works at all.”
Currently, there is no medical treatment for back pain that doesn’t involve the risk of serious side effects or dependency.
Professor Jonas Thorlund, Professor Henrik Bjarke Vægter, and Adjunct Professor Bart Koes from SDU are three of the other members of the research group behind the project, which is supported by the health insurance "danmark" and the Region of Southern Denmark’s Fund for Free and Strategic Research. So far, the research group has included 80 patients in the study. They expect to present the results in 2027.