This is a cross-sectional, non-interventional study conducted solely at KU Medical Center in which patients will be recruited and sorted based on the following status: 1) healthy, 2) painful diabetic neuropathy, 3) chronic low back pain as a result of non-operative lumbar aberrancy. Once recruited, subjects will undergo a venous blood draw to measure MGO-protein levels, HbA1c, blood glucose, NFL protein levels and GLO1 activity. Subjects will also complete questionnaires to better understand how MGO levels correlate with pain status.
The investigators will test the hypothesis that patients with low back pain associated with lumbar disc aberrancy will have elevated MGO-protein levels circulating in the blood that are comparable to patients with painful diabetic neuropathy.