Lim YZ, Wang Y, Cicuttini F, et al. - Given that chronic inflammation results in an increase in the production of cytokines and activation of proinflammatory pathways which in turn may lead to nonspecific low back pain (LBP), researchers here examined if inflammatory biomarkers are associated with nonspecific LBP via performing a systematic review. Searching CINAHL, Medline, and Embase from January 1946 to May 2018, they included 13 studies, ranging from fair to low quality. Of these, five studies investigated the link between C-reactive protein (CRP)/high-sensitivity CRP and LBP; 6 studies assessed tumor necrosis factors (TNFs); 8 studies assessed interleukins (ILs); and 2 studies assessed fibrinogen. Outcomes support the notion of a positive link between inflammatory biomarkers and nonspecific LBP, particularly for CRP, TNFs, and IL-6. Although there is a requirement for further high quality longitudinal studies to verify the findings and determine the magnitude of these relationships, this work infers a role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of nonspecific LBP.