"Low back pain is a very common symptom worldwide 1-4 with more than 80% of adults experiencing low back pain at some point in their life 2. It is more prevalent in low and middle-income countries with a global yearly prevalence of more than 30% 1 and up to 30% in higher-income countries such as the US 5. Women are more frequently affected 1. It occurs in all age groups being rare in the first decade, but up to 40% of teenagers have experienced back pain at some point 1. In the adult population, there is a temporary low in early adulthood with a steady increase thereafter to a peak in the seventh decade 1,2."
Expected headings
"Red flags and yellow flags"
"referred pain: pain spreading into the hip, buttock or lower extremity in a non-dermatomal pattern"
"It can be associated with several other clinical complaints and symptoms 1 such as leg pain, numbness, weakness or decreased reflexes and other clinical scenarios or constellations 1."
"Associated neurological symptoms, suspected extravertebral causes and “red flags” or other serious conditions might require immediate further diagnostic workups such as supplemental physical examination, laboratory tests, imaging or specialist referral depending on the suspected diagnosis 3."
"Low back pain is a symptom and not a disease that results from several pathologies 1. Low back pain is considered a complex condition with multiple contributing factors such as genetic, biophysical, psychological and social factors as well as comorbidities and pain-processing mechanisms 1."