Mechanical Back Pain Workup

  • Author: Debra G Perina, MD; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD   more...
 
Updated: Nov 3, 2011
 

Laboratory Studies

  • Consider performing urinalysis if the problem is not clearly musculoskeletal or an exacerbation of chronic back pain.
  • Perform a complete blood count (CBC) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) if the patient is febrile or if an epidural or spinal abscess, or osteomyelitis is suspected. While ESR has moderate specificity, the sensitivity is relatively high in cases of abscess, and it can be used as a screening test.
  • Other laboratory studies are rarely needed unless a disorder other than back pain is strongly suspected.
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Imaging Studies

  • Radiography
    • Lumbosacral spine series are expensive and expose the reproductive organs to significant radiation. Annually, 7-8 million such tests are obtained, but most have little value in directing therapy, particularly among adults younger than 50 years.
    • Osteophytes are the most frequently seen abnormality of plain films followed by intervertebral disc space narrowing. Both increase with age. Disc space narrowing appears to be more frequent in women. Disc space narrowing at 2 or more levels is strongly associated with back pain pathology.[14]
    • Unless a history of traumatic injury or systemic illness is present, such films should be obtained only for suspicion of malignancy or infection. Malignant involvement of vertebral bodies can be evident on plain film when as little as 30% of the vertebral body has been replaced.
    • Other indications that suggest the need for radiographic imaging include chronic steroid use and acute onset of pain in patients older than 50 years or in the pediatric age group.
    • The physician may also consider obtaining radiographs in patients whose cases involve (or potentially involve) litigation or for patients seeking compensation.
  • CT and MRI[15]
    • CT and MRI are generally considered the studies of choice for more precise imaging of the vertebrae, paraspinal soft tissues, discs, or spinal cord. CT images cortical bone with higher resolution and can delineate some fractures better than MRI.
    • MRI is generally the preferred imaging modality for detecting disc, cord, or soft tissue abnormalities.
  • Ultrasonography may be useful if the differential diagnosis includes appendicitis, a pathologic pelvic process, or abdominal aneurysm.
  • True emergencies that necessitate imaging include the following:
    • Patients with a history of malignancy and new evidence of nerve entrapment
    • Patients with back pain associated with paralysis or gross muscle weakness
    • Patients with bilateral neurologic deficits associated with bowel or bladder function loss
    • Patients in whom an epidural hematoma or epidural abscess is suspected
    • Postoperative patients with a recent lumbar laminectomy or hip replacement

Improvement occurs in almost all patients within 4-6 weeks, except those with infection, occult malignancy, or systemic illness. If pain fails to significantly improve or resolve in this time frame, imaging is always indicated.[16]

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Other Tests

  • Perform the straight leg raising test with the patient in a supine position. Record the response to raising each leg. An approximation of the test may be performed with the patient sitting and each leg straightened at the knee. The examiner should take care to make sure that the quadriceps muscle is relaxed while passively raising the leg to ensure that the sciatic nerve is being adequately stretched during the testing. If the quadriceps is contracted, it will take the pressure off the sciatic nerve and may give a false-negative result.
  • The stoop test helps distinguish true claudication from pseudoclaudication. Patients with true claudication sit down to rest when pain occurs, while patients with pseudoclaudication attempt to keep walking by stooping or flexing the spine to relieve the stretch on the sciatic nerve.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Debra G Perina, MD  Associate Professor, Director of Prehospital Care Division, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center

Debra G Perina, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Air Medical Physician Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, National Association of EMS Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Edward Bessman, MD  Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center; Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Edward Bessman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Eric L Legome, MD  Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center; Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Medical College

Eric L Legome, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD  Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

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