This protocol covers adults aged 18 and over presenting with non-specific low back pain — no identified structural or systemic cause — with a symptom duration of fewer than six weeks. It represents the first-line management pathway for this acute presentation.
Adults (18 years or over) with non-specific low back pain in the acute phase. Clinical practice guidelines consistently define this sub-population — adults within six weeks of symptom onset — as a distinct group requiring its own structured management approach.
For acute non-specific low back pain, guidelines consistently support a combined approach. The regimen includes oral anti-inflammatory medication together with active physical strategies —
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-024-07468-0
CPGs focusing on information regarding the management and/or treatment of non-specific LBP were considered eligible.
The CPG concerned adult populations (18 years or over).
Six guidelines defined acute LBP as less than four weeks duration, whilst eight guidelines specified less than six weeks duration.
For acute LBP, the guidelines recommended the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), therapeutic exercise, staying active, and spinal manipulation.
Recommendations about the prescription of NSAIDs remain consistent, and most guidelines recommend it as the first or second option.
Spinal manipulation and spinal mobilization were often used interchangeably.
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