Mechanical Low Back Pain Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Nov 22, 2022
  • Author: Everett C Hills, MD, MS; Chief Editor: Stephen Kishner, MD, MHA  more...
  • Print
DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

These include the following:

  • Benign and malignant primary and neural osseous tumors

  • Congenital anomalies of the lumbar nerve roots

  • Degenerative synovial cysts

  • Drug-seeking behavior

  • Extraspinal causes (eg, ovarian cyst, pancreatitis, ulcer)

  • Fractures of the lumbar vertebral body

  • Infection (eg, epidural abscesses, peritonitis)

  • Inflammatory conditions

  • Metastatic neoplasms

  • Myeloma

  • Aortic aneurism

  • Spondylolisthesis

  • Aseptic necrosis of the femoral head

  • Connective tissue disease

  • Myopathy

  • Renal infection or stone

  • Metabolic disease

  • Sickle cell disease

  • Seronegative arthritic diseases (eg, reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis)

Differential Diagnoses