If you are experiencing low back pain, a thorough medical history and physical exam can usually identify any dangerous conditions or family history that may be associated with the pain.  For your doctor visit be prepared to describe:

•    The onset of pain
•    The site of pain
•    The severity of the pain
•    The duration of symptoms
•    Any limitations in movement
•    History of previous episodes
•    Health conditions that might be related to the pain

You can expect the physician to:

•    Examine the back
•    Conduct neurologic tests to determine the cause of pain and provide appropriate treatment
•    Blood tests may also be ordered
•    Imaging tests may be necessary to diagnose tumors or other possible sources of the pain

Type of diagnostic methods available to confirm the cause of low back pain includes:

•    X-ray imaging that includes conventional and enhanced methods to help diagnose the cause and site of back pain
•    Conventional x-ray: often the first imaging technique used, looks for broken bones or an injured vertebra, it is fast, noninvasive and painless usually performed in a doctor’s office or at a clinic
•    Discography:  injection of a special contrast dye into a spinal disc thought to be causing low back pain, procedure often suggested for patients who are considering lumbar surgery or whose pain has not responded to conventional treatments
•    Myelograms:  enhance the diagnostic imaging of an x-ray, the contrast dye is injected into the spinal canal, allowing spinal cord and nerve compression caused by herniated discs or fractures to be seen on x-ray
•    Computerized tomography:  quick and painless, used with disc rupture, spinal stenosis or damage to vertebrae is suspected as cause of low back pain, generally performed at an imaging center or hospital
•    Magnetic resonance imaging:  used to evaluate the lumbar region for bone degeneration or injury or disease in tissues and nerves, muscles, ligaments, and blood vessels, noninvasive procedure often used to identify a condition requiring prompt surgical treatment
•    Electrodiagnostic procedures:  include electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, and evoked potential studies.
•    Bone scans:  used to diagnose and monitor infection, fracture, or disorders in the bone
•    Thermography:  use of infrared sensing devices to measure small temperature changes between the two sides of the body or the temperature of a specific organ, also used to detect presence or absence of nerve root compression
•    Ultrasound imaging:  ultrasound scanning or sonography, uses high-frequency sound waves to obtain images inside the body, can show tears in ligaments, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissue masses in the back.