Published in IJCP December 2018
American Family Physician
Practice Guidelines
December 11, 2018 | Practice Guidelines
     


Low back pain occurs in most persons living in the United States and has been shown to have high costs, health care–related and indirect (e.g., missed work days, reduced efficiency at work and home), totaling about $100 billion in 2006. Often, management is based on how long symptoms have persisted, possible etiologies, occurrence of radicular symptoms, and abnormalities found on physical examination or radiography. The American College of Physicians has released a guideline, which partially updates its 2007 guideline, to provide recommendations for noninvasive treatment of acute (duration less than four weeks), subacute (duration of four to 12 weeks), and chronic (duration longer than 12 weeks) low back pain. It does not address topical or epidural therapies.