Skip the MRI for Low Back Pain

Posted by: admin on: April 21, 2011

Immediate imaging with X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs for patients with acute low back pain is not recommended for all patients, according to new guidelines by the American College of Physicians.

  • Imaging tests are appropriate for people with low back pain that may be due to cancer, infection, nerve damage or pain that worsens despite initial treatment.

  • Signs of these more serious conditions include weight loss, fever, loss of muscle strength, and/or sensation in the legs and abnormal reflexes in addition to the low back pain.
  • Unnecessary imaging exposes patients to preventable harms, may lead to additional unnecessary interventions, and results in unnecessary cost.
  • Every patient feels their workup isn’t complete without an MRI but it doesn’t change anything.
  • If someone has a history of cancer, and there is a reason to suspect that cancer has spread to the spine, or there is nerve damage an MRI will help determine whether or not surgery is needed.
  • Before insisting on an MRI, see someone who specializes in diagnosing and treating back pain.
  • Seeing a back pain specialist such as a physiatrist can help reduce unnecessary imaging tests and subsequent spinal surgeries by as much as one-third.
  • Imaging is over utilized, but the more patients are educated, the more these tests will be ordered appropriately.

http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20110131/skip-the-mri-for-low-back-pain

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