01280nas a2200157   4500000000100000008004100001653002400042653001200066100001700078700001300095245005700108300003500165490000700200050000600207520090900213       2006                            d10aPeer Reviewed Paper10aChecked1 aRefshauge K.1 aMaher C.00aLow back pain investigations and prognosis: a review  a494-498. [Impact Factor 2.463]0 v40  aN3 a<p>
Low back pain is reviewed in terms of when investigations are useful and its clinical course. Despite the extensive evaluation of the accuracy of investigations such as radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and myelography, there is a surprising dearth of research to inform their use in primary care. There is no clear evidence on which to base judgments for selection of appropriate tests to confirm or exclude low back pain pathology. It appears that investigations are rarely necessary for low back pain. Specific investigations should be ordered to identify a particular pathology but should not be ordered routinely for general screening. In the absence of pathology, low back pain and its associated disability improve rapidly in the first weeks after onset, but, in contradiction to all guidelines, both commonly persist and the best evidence suggests that recurrences are common.
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