ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the prevalence of chronic low back pain syndromes and their cost to society as there is general agreement that about two-thirds of adults are affected by mechanical low back pain at some point in their lives. It sheds some light on the long-standing “medical enigma” of mechanical low back pain syndrome disorders. It discusses the possible difficulties of coming to a diagnosis for this condition and refers to some possible causes of specific and non-specific i.e. mechanical lumbosacral spine pain syndromes, with or without radicular pain. The most important step in the management of acute and chronic low back pain is for the clinician to have the ability to undertake an appropriate history and assessment and to have a good understanding of normal and abnormal spinal anatomy to enable the clinician to make an appropriate diagnosis, on which to base appropriate treatment. The important issue of erect posture plain X-ray imaging, and the limitations of supine imaging, are discussed. Weight-bearing functional/kinetic magnetic resonance imaging is also discussed.
