title: Back pain pitfalls.
abstract: Pain along the vertebral column is such a frequent complaint that it is easy to overlook unusual etiologies or serious complications. In addition to the common traumatic and degenerative causes of back pain, infectious, rheumatic and neoplastic conditions must also be considered. Nonmusculoskeletal disorders may sometimes be mistaken for lumbosacral strain. A systematic and sympathetic approach to the diagnosis may uncover uncommon pathologies.
authors.affiliation: Skyline Family Medical Center, Duluth, Minnesota.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Spoelhof
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bristow
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000150:complications; D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications; D001416:Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications