Clinical approach to chronic low back pain among specialists

BackgroundLow back pain is a common reason for disability in patients younger than ۴۵ years old who visit physicians. Although there are many attitudes toward treating back pain, there is no commonly accepted approach. This study compared various attitudes toward the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic low back pain among neurologists, neurosurgeons, and orthopedic surgeons. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a checklist including four main aspects of history taking, clinical and para-clinical tests, and treatment of chronic low back pain was designed to be completed by ۴۵ specialists (orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and neurologists). Results Straight Leg Raising (SLR) was the most frequent test during the examination process. The high priorities among the para-clinics were MRI, lumbosacral graph, EMG-NCV, serology lab test, and CT scan, respectively. A significant difference was found in requesting lumbosacral graph among specialties. Moreover, the priorities for nonsurgical treatment were NSAIDs, nonpharmaceutical treatment, muscle relaxants, gabapentin, and corticosteroids, respectively. ConclusionHistory taking, physical examination, diagnostic approaches, and treatments were significantly different among the different specialties. The results revealed the need for consensus on common and well-established guidelines for a clinical approach to chronic low back pain.

کلیدواژه ها:

Clinical approach ، Low back pain ، medical specialists ، Chronic