Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992)
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Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) · Apr 2016
ReviewInitial approach to patients with acute lower back pain.
Low back pain is in one of the most common reasons for seeking medical care in emergency care units, and also the second most common cause of work absenteeism. The recognition of red flags for serious diseases such as tumors and fractures, through proper history-taking and clinical examination, is essential for proper treatment and to rule out differential diagnoses. ⋯ Most patients will have complete improvement of symptoms after a few months, but a minority can develop chronic low back pain or present with recurrent episodes. The proper understanding of all of the above can optimize results and avoid diagnostic and therapeutic errors.