Low back pain

Revision as of 13:34, 27 August 2024 by Nikolas (talk | contribs) (Created page with "<section begin="orthopaedics" />* Low back pain is very common * LBP can generally take on one of two major forms ** Lumbago (mechanical low back pain) ** Sciatica (neurological low back pain) * LBP can occur in a healthy spine, often due to stretching or microscopic tears of muscles or ligaments * Lumbago ** = mechanical low back pain ** (Some sources, like this year’s lecture, reserve the term “lumbago” for idiopathic LBP) ** Can have many causes *** Mechani...")

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Low back pain is very common
LBP can generally take on one of two major forms
- Lumbago (mechanical low back pain)
- Sciatica (neurological low back pain)
LBP can occur in a healthy spine, often due to stretching or microscopic tears of muscles or ligaments

Lumbago
- = mechanical low back pain
- (Some sources, like this year’s lecture, reserve the term “lumbago” for idiopathic LBP)
- Can have many causes
  - Mechanical disorders
  - Congenital malformations
  - Lumbar instability
  - Degenerative diseases
- Can be acute or chronic
  - Lasts less than 1 month – acute
  - Lasts more than 6 months – chronic
- Clinical features
  - Low back pain
  - Decreased lumbar lordosis
  - Antalgic gait
  - Paravertebral muscle spasm
  - Restricted lumbar movements
  - No neurological signs (radiation, paraesthesia, etc.)
- Treatment
  - Analgesia
  - For acute lumbago – rest
  - For chronic lumbago – mobilization
  - Surgery is almost never indicated