Spinal problems

Low back and neck pain are extremely common symptoms in modern societies. The pain may result from abnormalities occurring within the trunk muscles, the vertebrae, the intervertebral discs, the facet joints, and the ligaments and from the spinal canal and the nerve roots themselves. Pain may also be referred from distant sites—such as the abdomen—and in some cases may be functional or psychogenic in nature. Pain can be described as acute or chronic; pain present for more than 3 months is considered as chronic. This chapter describes the assessment and management of different types of back pain.