Complementary Repair Therapy as a Trending Topic in Discogenic Pain: A Bibliometric Study Over the Past 40 Years

Area of Science:

• Spine research
• Pain medicine
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Discogenic pain significantly impacts quality of life.
• A bibliometric analysis of this research area is lacking.
• Understanding research trends is crucial for advancing treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first bibliometric analysis of discogenic pain research.
• To identify trending topics and key contributors in the field.
• To visualize the research landscape from 1982 to 2023.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Bibliometrix R-package for data analysis.
• Extracted 977 publications from the Web of Science database (1982-2023).
• Analyzed publication trends, influential journals, authors, institutions, and countries.

Main Results:

• Trending topics include disc repair, bone marrow cells, platelet-rich plasma, and inflammatory responses.
• SPINE (Phila Pa 1976) was the most productive and influential journal.
• Chiba University, USA, China, and Japan were leading contributors.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first bibliometric overview of discogenic pain research.
• Recent research emphasizes regenerative approaches and the role of inflammation in disc pathology.
• Identified key players and emerging themes to guide future research directions.