Abstract
Acute lower back pain is defined as back pain between the costal margins and the inferior gluteal folds. It is a common and important problem in primary care. The lifetime prevalence for acute low back pain lasting less than 6 weeks is 58% and, in a survey in 1998, 40% of adults said that they had experienced an episode of back pain lasting longer than 24 hours last year. At 6 weeks, 90% of patients are symptom free Department for Work and Pensions. Chronic low back pain lasts over 3 months; if it persists over 12 months, the prognosis worsens significantly. With each new presentation, it is important to assess how the patient has been affected so far by the pain, work together to speed recovery, keep alert to possible serious or sinister causes of back pain, pick up those patients with nerve root pain and identify which patients would benefit from referral onto secondary care.
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