History Taking and Management of a Patient Presenting with Back Pain

Areas to be focused on: differentiate between acute (less than 4 weeks), subacute (4–12 weeks), and chronic back pain (more than 12 weeks). Differentiate between mechanical (degenerative disc disease, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, vertebral compression fracture), malignant (local and metastatic), infections (osteomyelitis, epidural abscess), inflammatory (ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic spondylitis), or referred pain (pelvic organ disease (endometriosis, PID), renal disease (nephrolithiasis), gastrointestinal disease (pancreatitis, peptic ulcer disease, acute cholecystitis)).