Acute Low Back Pain

We define acute low back pain (ALBP) as less than 6 weeks of pain between the costal angles and gluteal folds. This may be accompanied by radicular pain, which radiates down one or both legs and may indicate irritation of a nerve root. Low back pain (LBP) is the fifth most common reason for medical office visits in the United States and a leading cause of work-related disability. Only about 1% of patients with ALBP in the primary care setting have a serious underlying cause.