title: Low back pain, radiculopathy.
abstract: Low back pain is a pervasive problem in the adult population. Most patients with low back pain will not require imaging as spontaneous recovery within 12 weeks is the rule. However, a small percentage of patients with low back pain will have serious underlying pathology requiring more intensive investigation. This chapter delineates the signs and symptoms related to potential serious underlying causes and discusses appropriate imaging modalities that should be utilized in patients with low back pain.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord Injury Division, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address: Stephen.selkirk@va.gov.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Selkirk
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruff
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D059906:Neuroimaging; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: degenerative disc disease; disc herniation; low back pain; radiculopathy; spinal stenosis