Management of low back pain

Abstract

A sizeable section of world's population develop back pain sometime in their lives and the specific causes cannot be identified. Various clinical conditions like trauma, infection (tuberculous, pyogenic, etc), malignancy, rheumatological diseases, neurological disorders and degenerative diseases produce back pain, and also some systemic illnesses cause the same. Radiological studies are very important for the diagnosis of back pain. Plain radiographs, myelography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and bone scintigraphy are various radiological procedures often selected for diagnosis. Treatment modality comprises non-surgical and surgical methods. Non-surgical treatment consists of rest, pharmacological therapy, physical therapy and injection therapy. Disc surgery, widening of spinal canal, spinal fusion using bone grafts, removal of tumour or sequestrated disc are carried out when surgical intervention is needed.