Template:Low Back Pain DDX

Differential Diagnosis

Mechanical Low Back Pain (97%)

• Internal disc disruption
• Facet joint pain
• Sacroiliac joint pain
• Sacroiliac ligament pain
• Torsion injuries
• Vertebral compression fractures
• Interspinous tissue injury
• Lamina impaction
• Scoliosis
• Spondylolysis in a sportsperson, but not the general population
• The following are disputed causes of low back pain: degenerative changes, low grade disc infection, transitional vertebrae, congenital fusion, spina bifida occulta, spondylolisthesis, instability, failed back surgery syndrome, back mice, cluneal nerve entrapment, spinal stenosis, myofascial syndrome

Nonmechanical Spine Conditions (1%)

• Neoplasia (Multiple myeloma, metastatic carcinoma, lymphoma, leukaemia, spinal cord tumours, retroperitoneal tumours, primary vertebral tumours)
• Infection (Osteomyelitis, discitis, paraspinous abscess, epidural abscess, shingles)
• Inflammatory arthritis (Ankylosing spondylitis, reiter syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease)
• Scheuermann disease (osteochondrosis)
• Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
• Paget disease

Visceral Disease (2%)

• Pelvic organ involvement (Prostatitis, endometriosis, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease)
• Renal involvement (Nephrolithiasis, pyelonephritis, perinephric abscess)
• Aortic aneurysm
• Gastrointestinal involvement (Pancreatitis, cholecystitis, ulcer)