About the Book
Low back pain affects almost everyone at some point, and many people struggle with pain or limitations despite multiple attempts at treatment. Current spine care is plagued by variability, over-medicalization of biopsychosocial problems, inequity, and an over-emphasis on interventional and surgical care. Guidelines focused on the short-term management of acute low back pain are generally not followed and have limited applicability. Non-specific and poorly verified
diagnoses further confound clinical care. The reality is that low back pain is a chronic recurrent problem for most individuals, and care should therefore be directed toward long-term management and
optimization of life and function.
Low Back Pain recognizes that all low back pain conditions are not created equally and focuses on effective treatments for a diverse set of low back pain issues. Part of the> " What Do I Do Now?: Pain Medicine> " series this text provides concise, evidence-based, and practical guidance on the management of back pain and related spinal disorders. With practical information on effective front-line care for those with
low back pain, the cases in this book reflect common or illustrative clinical presentations and a solid framework for evaluating those with low back pain, clarity on specific conditions, and a critical approach to diagnosis and
treatment.
Table of Contents:
1. <"Should I go to the emergency room?> " Their first episode of low back pain.
Christopher J. Standaert, MD 2. <"My back went out again!> " You are seeing them at 1:00. Karen Barr, MD 3. <"It hurts right there.> " Focal, ongoing pain in a 48 year old Christopher J. Standaert, MD 4. <"Of course my back hurts- I have two bulging discs.> " Charles Davis, MD
Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Jeffrey G. Jarvick, MD, MPH 5. <"It's my sciatica.> " Radiating leg pain in a 37-year-old William Taylor Riden, DO, MBA
Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Kevin A. Carneiro, DO 6. <"I can't stand up!> " Severe acute pain in a 63 year old male Eman Kazi, MD
Christopher J. Standaert, MD 7. <"My legs hurt when I walk a few blocks.> " Back and leg pain in a 67 year old. Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Eman Kazi, MD
Michael J. Schneider, DC, PhD 8. <"They told me I have a 'spondy.'> " A 52 year old with low back pain. Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Jaxon E. Standaert 9. A <"Clunk> " in the Night: A 51 year old female with back pain Joseph P. Shivers, MD
Christopher J. Standaert, MD 10. <"My back aches and I can't stand long enough to make dinner.> ": Chronic Low Back Pain at 73 Michelle Eventov, MD Christopher J. Standaert, MD 11. <"I shouldn't have moved that flowerpot.> " Acute back pain in a 78 year old woman James E. Eubanks, Jr., MD, MS Christopher J. Standaert, MD 12. <"Shouldn't I be better by now?> " Persisting pain after a compression fracture. Christopher J. Standaert, MD 13. <"I fell off a ladder, and my back really hurts.> " Acute trauma in a 38 year old male Anthony A. Oyekan, MD
Dominic Ridolfi Christopher Gibbs, MD Jeremy D. Shaw, MD 14. <"I've been coughing a lot, too.> " A 68 year old Smoker with a Cough and Back Pain Robert L. Bailey, MD Jessica Sullivan, PA-C, MPAS 15. <"My lungs are better but now my back hurts.> " <"Back pain After Pneumonia Joseph P. Shivers, MD
Christopher J. Standaert, MD 16. <"I'm really scared.> " Acute Back and Leg Pain with Incontinence. Charles Reitman, MD 17. <"I just keep getting worse.> " Longstanding depression and progressive low back pain. Laura M. Tuck, PsyD Moriah J. Brier, PhD Erica Ho, PhD Derek R. Anderson, PhD Rhonda M. Williams, PhD Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Aaron P. Turner, PhD 18. <"I know if have fibromyalgia, but my back hurts.> " Back Pain and Fibromyalgia Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Isaiah Levy, MD 19. <"I was rear-ended last week, and my back is killing me.> " Pain after a motor vehicle accident. Benjamin D. Holmes DC, PhD Steven J. Atlas MD, MPH Eric J. Roseen DC, MSc 20. <"I was hurt at work, and I'll get hurt again if I go back.> " Back pain in workplace injury. Kristina Barber MD Christopher J. Standaert MD
Rachel Brakke Holman MD 21. <"I just had surgery, but I hurt again.> " Back and leg pain 4 months after back surgery Alex Watson, MD, MBA
Christopher J. Standaert, MD 22. <"I can't run without pain.> " Low Back Pain While Training for the Boston Marathon Katie Smolinski, DO Mark A. Harrast, MD , 23. <"My back is OK as long as I don't do anything, but I love soccer and tennis.> " Back pain in a recreational athlete.
Maria Vanushkina, MD Christopher J. Standaert, MD 24. <"I go on this golf trip every year, but it hurts to swing a club.> " Back pain and golf. Seth Bires DO Christopher J. Standaert, MD
Prakash Jayabalan MD, PhD 25. <"It hurt so much I had to come out of the game.> " A 14 year old Soccer Player with Acute Low Back Pain
Kuntal Chowdhary, MD Christopher J. Standaert, MD 26. <"My injury was years ago, but something in my back is not right.> " Low Back Pain on the Way to the Paralympics
Deborah Crane, MD 27. <"It hurts, and I'm not walking right.> " A Veteran with back pain and a below knee prosthesis. Mary S. Keszler, MD David C. Morgenroth, MD Ari Greis, DO Rhonda M. Williams, PhD Christopher J. Standaert, MD 28. <"I'm only in my second trimester, but now my back hurts.> " Back Pain in Pregnancy Jason S. Bitterman, MD 29. <"I didn't think this third pregnancy was going to be so hard on me.> " A 33-year-old with post-partum pelvic pain.
Marissa L. Marcotte, MD Rupali Kumar, MD 30. <"It really hurts when I get up.> " A 24 year old male with progressive sacral pain and stiffness. Niveditha Mohan, MD 31. <"My hip hurts.> " Is it her back? Isaiah Levy, MD Christopher J. Standaert, MD 32. <"I want to say in my home.> " An 87 year old with Back pain, Heart Failure and Diabetes. Laura R. Lawson, MD Debra Kaye Weiner, MD 33. <"I need to exercise to lose weight but my back hurts.> " Low back pain with a BMI of 47. Alex Watson, MD, MBA Christopher J. Standaert, MD 34. <"I have tried everything for my back pain!> " What to do when there is nothing left to do. Christopher J. Standaert, MD
About the Author :
Dr. Standaert is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), serving as an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of PM&R at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He worked in the University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, where he was a Clinical Professor, before joining the University of Pittsburgh. He
has served numerous roles in state and federal governmental committees and actively collaborates with colleagues around the world in advancing our understanding of spine and musculoskeletal care and health policy. Dr. Friedly is a board-certified physiatrist and Professor and Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Friedly received her undergraduate degree in 1994 from Stanford University and her medical degree from Oregon Health Sciences University in 2001. She completed her residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the University of Washington in 2005. She also received her Master of Public Health from
George Washington University in 2020. Dr. Friedly has extensive experience conducting patient centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness research related to low back pain. In addition to her 20-year
research career, she also has served as the editor in chief of the PM&R, the official journal of the American Academy of PM&R since 2019 and has held a number of leadership roles within the University of Washington including the Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.
