Low Back Pain
Most people have experienced the aches and inconvenience of low back pain. Although the causes can be hard to pin down, treatment can be very simple.
Jennifer Kendall, PharmD, is busy, so the sound of children's laughter in the pharmacy just barely registers. Her technician rifles through the prescription orders that have been faxed in and extracts a couple. "Ms. Healow is here, and maybe we could do these first so her children don't take the place apart, hmm?" she says. Jennifer looks up and sees Ms. Healow perched awkwardly in a plastic chair, apparently oblivious to her two children, who are running up and down the aisles. "She was just here yesterday, wasn't she?" Jennifer asks, as she looks at orders for a different analgesic and a new muscle relaxant. "She was," Julia says, "but she said the prescriptions snowed her. She can't stay awake." Jennifer sighs. "Back pain. It's like the common cold this week. Between the folks who don't have time to see a doctor and those with prescriptions, we've seen about 20 people. At least there's no doubt that she really has a backache. An abuser wouldn't complain about sedation."
Like the common cold, low back pain (LBP) affects most everyone at one time or another; up to 85% of people suffer at least one bout of LBP during their lifetime. Many sufferers do not seek medical attention, whereas others employ various and sundry home remedies. Acute LBP can be a minor inconvenience, a signal of serious pathology, or an excuse to maintain a drug habit. Its etiology is frequently cloaked in mystery and often baffling to clinicians. Despite treatment advances, myths abound (see Table 1 ).
Abstract
Most people have experienced the aches and inconvenience of low back pain. Although the causes can be hard to pin down, treatment can be very simple.
Introduction
Jennifer Kendall, PharmD, is busy, so the sound of children's laughter in the pharmacy just barely registers. Her technician rifles through the prescription orders that have been faxed in and extracts a couple. "Ms. Healow is here, and maybe we could do these first so her children don't take the place apart, hmm?" she says. Jennifer looks up and sees Ms. Healow perched awkwardly in a plastic chair, apparently oblivious to her two children, who are running up and down the aisles. "She was just here yesterday, wasn't she?" Jennifer asks, as she looks at orders for a different analgesic and a new muscle relaxant. "She was," Julia says, "but she said the prescriptions snowed her. She can't stay awake." Jennifer sighs. "Back pain. It's like the common cold this week. Between the folks who don't have time to see a doctor and those with prescriptions, we've seen about 20 people. At least there's no doubt that she really has a backache. An abuser wouldn't complain about sedation."
Like the common cold, low back pain (LBP) affects most everyone at one time or another; up to 85% of people suffer at least one bout of LBP during their lifetime. Many sufferers do not seek medical attention, whereas others employ various and sundry home remedies. Acute LBP can be a minor inconvenience, a signal of serious pathology, or an excuse to maintain a drug habit. Its etiology is frequently cloaked in mystery and often baffling to clinicians. Despite treatment advances, myths abound (see Table 1 ).
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