Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Jan;100(1):169-81.
doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2015.08.015.

Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain

Nathan Patrick  1 , Eric Emanski  1 , Mark A Knaub  2
Affiliations
Review

Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain

Nathan Patrick et al. Med Clin North Am. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Low back pain is an extremely common presenting complaint that occurs in upward of 80% of persons. Treatment of an acute episode of back pain includes relative rest, activity modification, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and physical therapy. Patient education is also imperative, as these patients are at risk for further future episodes of back pain. Chronic back pain (>6 months' duration) develops in a small percentage of patients. Clinicians' ability to diagnose the exact pathologic source of these symptoms is severely limited, making a cure unlikely. Treatment of these patients should be supportive, the goal being to improve pain and function.

Keywords: Acute low back pain; Chronic low back pain; Patient education; Treatment protocols.

PubMed Disclaimer

Substances