Acute low back pain

Acute low back pain is common and can occur without any definite event or injury.

Back pain is second only to URTI in terms of days lost from work due to illness or injury. There are a large number of causes of low back pain and a definitive structural diagnosis is possible in less than 10% of patients.  

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• have an awareness of the common conditions which affect the spine in active patients;
• understand the indications for obtaining X-rays of the lumbar spine;
• be able to evaluate and initiate a management plan for patients presenting with spondylolysis and radicular pain;
• be able to identify yellow and red flag symptoms and signs;
• understand the indications for specialist review.

Acknowledgements

This content was updated by Dr Helen Joyce Fulcher MBChB, DipPaed, PGCertHSc(Sports Med) in 2022.