Radiography of the lumbar spine in patients with low back pain – (03-01-01)

Radiography of the lumbar spine in patients with low back pain

I would rarely recommend X-rays to a patient with low back pain in the absence of certain red flags or trauma. A vast majority of patients improve without ever having radiographs taken. The interesting aspect of this article is that patients who did receive radiographs had higher utilization of medical care and were also more satisfied with their care. I firmly believe that this indicates a very poor communication between doctors and patients in regards to LBP. It is possible that general practitioners are generally unfamiliar with treatment and causes of LBP and thus have a hard time communicating and educating the patient.

bmj.com Abstracts: Kendrick et al. 322 (7283): 400

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