Description

Back pain, like tooth decay and the common cold, is
an affliction that affects a substantial proportion, if
not the entire population, at some point in their
lives. Nobody is immune to this condition nor its
potential disability which does not discriminate by
gender, age, race or culture. It has become one of the
leading causes of disability in our society and the cost
of treatment has been increasing progressively each
year, without any obvious effect on the frequency
and severity of the condition. The search for a cure
and the elimination of back pain does not appear to
be a viable option at this point in our understanding
of back pain. A reasonable goal, however, is to
improve the ability of clinicians to determine the
cause of back pain in a substantial proportion of
patients, to identify conditions likely to lead to
serious disability if not treated promptly, to reduce
the symptoms of back pain, to increase functional
capacity and to reduce the likelihood of recurrences.