Non-pharmacological treatment of low back pain in primary care

Abstract

### Key learning points\n\nLow back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is associated with a significant personal, social and economic burden.1–3 Since we are currently unable to identify the cause of the vast majority of LBP, we call it non-specific LBP.1 3 A diagnosis of non-specific LBP is reached after a detailed triage process in which the clinician must rule out specific spinal pathologies (eg, intraspinal abscess, infections, spondyloarthropathy, malignancy, cauda equina syndrome, and vertebral fractures), radicular syndromes (eg, radicular pain, radiculopathy [(weakness, loss of sensation or loss of reflexes associated with a particular nerve root, or a combination of these, with or without radicular pain)], spinal stenosis)) and non-spinal causes of LBP (eg, hip pathology, referred visceral pain, viral syndromes and vascular causes).4 \n\nManagement of non-specific LBP commonly focuses on reducing pain and its consequences, including any associated disability.3 The increasing use …