title: Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain.
abstract: Low back pain is an extremely common presenting complaint that occurs in upward of 80% of persons. Treatment of an acute episode of back pain includes relative rest, activity modification, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and physical therapy. Patient education is also imperative, as these patients are at risk for further future episodes of back pain. Chronic back pain (>6 months' duration) develops in a small percentage of patients. Clinicians' ability to diagnose the exact pathologic source of these symptoms is severely limited, making a cure unlikely. Treatment of these patients should be supportive, the goal being to improve pain and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Penn State-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 30 Hope Drive, Building A, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Penn State-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 30 Hope Drive, Building A, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emanski
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Penn State-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 30 Hope Drive, Building A, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. Electronic address: mknaub@hmc.psu.edu.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Knaub
mesh_terms: D059787:Acute Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents
keywords: Acute low back pain; Chronic low back pain; Patient education; Treatment protocols