Low back pain investigations and prognosis: a review

Abstract

Low back pain is reviewed in terms of when investigations are useful and its clinical course. Despite the extensive evaluation of the accuracy of investigations such as radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and myelography, there is a surprising dearth of research to inform their use in primary care. There is no clear evidence on which to base judgments for selection of appropriate tests to confirm or exclude low back pain pathology. It appears that investigations are rarely necessary for low back pain. Specific investigations should be ordered to identify a particular pathology but should not be ordered routinely for general screening. In the absence of pathology, low back pain and its associated disability improve rapidly in the first weeks after onset, but, in contradiction to all guidelines, both commonly persist and the best evidence suggests that recurrences are common.

Prevalence of Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis in Patients Afflicted with Chronic Back Pain in Babol City, Iran, during 2012 and 2013

“…Also, it accounts for most referring to clinics and hospitals [2]. Results of studies in the developed countries show that more than 85% of individuals experience back pain during their lifetime [3], that majority of them were treated without recognition analysis at the level of primary treatment services emergency cares and even in most people, this phenomenon was limited itself [4]. Since, principles for back pain do not suggest imaging techniques, and a lumbosacral simple graph will not be helpful in diagnosing the etiology of back pain [5,6].…”

Evidence of Significant Results Showing Staying Active is Advisable for Non-Specific Low Back Pain Patients: A systematic Review

“…11 Also, there appear factors that mediate between PA and disability. 53,54 Several behavioural and psychosocial variables appear to be related to the multivariate models.…”

“…[6][7][8][9] Somehow, it is highly challenging to effectively manage LBP and prevent pain reoccurrence and chronicity. 10,11 Thus, there has been increasing works on the creating of techniques in of averting the adverse impacts of CLBP. 12 PA's prospective role in CLBP prevention has been recommended.…”

Is there a role for endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of lumbar disc degeneration? A hypothesis that needs to be tested

“…Eventually, up to 85% of patients who require an outpatient consult for LBP do not receive a correct diagnosis given the absence of a precise pattern of suggestive clinical or radiological findings even after an appropriate diagnostic procedure [5].…”