Via practica 6/2023

Back pain warning signs

Acute and chronic back pain is a complex heterogeneous disease that includes a wide spectrum of symptoms. It is a frequent cause of morbidity and incapacity to work. A patient with an acute back pain should first visit a general practitioner for adults, where a basic clinical examination and triage of the patient should be performed. Triage is performed by a general practitioner using an anamnesis focused on the mechanism and circumstances of pain and comorbidity, physical examination, orientated neurological examination (detection of paresis, sensitivity disorders and sphincter disorders). The goal of the admission triage is to identify patients suspected of having a serious specific organic and progressive disease of the spine characteristic for a tumor, infection, autoimmune inflammation, injury, osteoporosis). During the admission triage, it is recommended to use significant red flags – warning signs. The article contains warning signs for vertebrogenic problems, warning signs for a fracture of the spinal vertebrae and for an infection/tumor of the spine.

Keywords: back pain, red flags, warning signs