Context

Back pain is common. It is estimated that 60-80% of the population have back pain at some time during their life with between 14-30% having some pain on the day of interview and 30-40% of people reporting some pain within the previous month.

Approximately 5-10% will have some degree of back trouble for long periods of their life, while 3-4% of the population aged 16-44 and 5-7% of those between 45 and 64 will report back problems as a chronic sickness.¹

Consequently, not only do emergency departments (EDs) see many patients presenting with acute back pain but they also see many with acute exacerbations of a chronic back problem and patients with back pain incidental to their presenting problem. It tends to start between the late teens and the late forties or early fifties.

The Role of the Emergency Department

Emergency physicians must be able to differentiate serious from less serious causes of lower back pain.

Most patients with serious causes will be referred to specialities for assessment and review, however the ED will manage less serious causes of back pain.