News
A practical approach to low back pain
Low back pain is the most frequent musculoskeletal condition that GPs treat patients for in Australia, with one in seven Australians suffering from it every day. With this in mind, authors of an article in MJA sought to assist GPs in outlining a practical approach to treating low back pain.
The article outlines the importance of diagnostic triage that classifies patients into three categories (after excluding on-spinal causes of low back pain):
- Specific spinal pathology
- Radicular syndrome(s)
- Non-specific low back pain
Placing the patient into one of the three categories allows GPs to correctly identify the proper diagnostic workup and if the patient requires referral to an allied health or medical specialist.
For more details on the diagnostic triage approach, follow this link.
