Lack of Evidence-Based Research for Idiopathic Low Back Pain: The Importance of a Specific Diagnosis

T HE TERMS idiopathic low back pain and nonspecific low back pain (hereinafter idiopathic LBP and nonspecific LBP), which achieved prominence at least 20 years ago, are commonly used to describe the condition of up to 85% of patients for whom a specific diagnosis is said to be impossible. These concepts, the basis of the current national consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of LBP, have been accepted as