Assessment
Questionnaire
Have a symptom?
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques to assess the symptom: Back pain. These will include a physical examination and possibly diagnostic tests. (Note: A physical exam is always done, diagnostic tests may or may not be performed depending on the suspected condition) Your doctor will ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to openly share any pertinent information to help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.
It is also very important to bring an up-to-date list of all of your all medical conditions, medications including dosages, and names of numbers of any specialist you see.
Create your printable checklist by answering questions that your doctor may ask below:
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Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
Why: helps to determine cause of back pain e.g. dysfunction of intervertebral disc , back muscle strain, compression fracture of the spine, spondylolisthesis.
Why: may reveal its likely origin e.g. aching, throbbing pain can indicate inflammation such as spondylitis; deep aching diffuse pain can indicate referred pain such as painful menstruation; superficial steady diffuse pain can indicate local pain such as a muscular strain; boring deep pain can indicate bone disease such as bone tumor or Paget's disease; intense sharp stabbing pain superimposed on a dull ache can indicate sciatica.
Why: is it central or peripheral, thoracic area or lumbar area.
Why: Inflammatory pain is worse at night and in early morning; mechanical back pain due to injury is worse at the end of the day and after activity; Continuous pain present day and night is suggestive of infection or bone tumor.
Why: inflammatory back pain causes pain at rest , relieved by activity ; mechanical back pain due to injury is exacerbated by activity and relieved by rest ;osteoarthritis causes pain with or after activity and relived with rest; pain aggravated by standing or walking and relieved by sitting suggests spondylolisthesis; back pain due to dysmenorrhoea is worse at start of menstrual period.
Why: may indicate reactive arthritis.
Why: osteoarthritis (a common cause of back pain is spondylosis (synonymous with osteoarthritis and degenerative back disease) ankylosing, spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis.
Why: of cancers that may spread to bones e.g. breast, lung, prostate, thyroid, kidney, bladder, adrenal, melanoma and colorectal.
Why: can determine risk of Reiter's syndrome.
Why: early menopause , premenopausal estrogen deficiency e.g. amenorrhea , cigarette smoking , high caffeine intake , high alcohol intake , low calcium intake , physical inactivity , chronic corticosteroid use, Cushing's disease , hyperthyroidism , chronic renal failure.
Why: e.g. warfarin may cause cauda equine compression due to hemorrhage; corticosteroids can lead to osteoporosis.
Why: if severe, prolonged and worse in the morning indicates inflammation e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis; Osteoarthritis causes stiffness at rest.
Why: may indicate compression of spinal cord or nerve roots from a disc prolapse, narrowed intervertebral foramina or bone tumor.
Why: may indicate compression of spinal cord or nerve roots from a disc prolapse, narrowed intervertebral foramina or bone tumor.
Why: should consider the possibility of a spinal cord tumor, cauda equine tumor or kidney disease.
Why: may occur in acute vertebral osteomyelitis or tuberculosis.
Why: psoriasis can cause psoriatic arthropathy.
Why: e.g. conjunctivitis, urethritis (painful urination, penile discharge, vaginal discharge).
Why: may cause loin pain.
Why: Chronic back pain can increase risk of causing or aggravating depression; Depression can continue to aggravate or maintain the back pain even though the provoking problem has disappeared.
The following list of conditions have 'Back pain' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Back pain or choose View All.
The following list of medical conditions have 'Back pain'
or similar listed as a medical complication in our database.
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Copyright © 2011 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 7 May, 2013 (4:18)
