Background and aims Chronic spinal pain (CSP, i.e. chronic low back and neck pain) is a highly prevalent and debilitating disorder with tremendous personal and socioeconomic consequences. Chronic spinal pain adversely impacts many quality of life elements, including sleep quality and quantity. Comorbid insomnia is a common health problem among people suffering from CSP. In literature, a bidirectional interaction between sleep and pain is suggested. The current study aims to systematically review the existing literature reporting the association between sleep quality and pain in people with CSP and comorbid insomnia.
Methods A systematic literature search will be conducted via the electronic databases Pubmed, Web of Science and Embase. Keywords for CSP and sleep will be used for this search. First, all articles will be screened for eligibility on title and abstract. Following inclusion criteria must be met: participants are (1) human adults (>18 years) suffering from CSP and comorbid insomnia; (2) articles should report outcomes related to sleep and pain; (3) articles should contain original research. Then, potential relevant articles will be screened on full text. Screening and scoring risk of bias will take place by two independent reviewers. Evidence will be scored using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Data extraction from included articles will be executed in order to draw conclusions. If possible, a meta-analysis will be conducted.
Results Review is ongoing. If there is an interaction between CSP and the quality and quantity of sleep, and it is clear which dimensions of sleep are disturbed in this population, then physical therapy for CSP in people with comorbid insomnia could be optimized.
Conclusions Review is ongoing.

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN PAIN AND SLEEP IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC SPINAL PAIN AND COMORBID INSOMNIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW