Back pain in the elderly: a review

Luke D Jones; Hemant Pandit; Christopher Lavy

doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.004

Back pain in the elderly: a review

Maturitas. 2014 Aug;78(4):258-62. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.004. Epub 2014 May 13.

Authors

Luke D Jones¹, Hemant Pandit², Christopher Lavy²

Affiliations

¹ Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Oxford University, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Windmill Road, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK. Electronic address: Luke.jones@ndorms.ox.ac.uk.
² Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Oxford University, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Windmill Road, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK.

PMID: 24974279
DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.004

Abstract

Low back pain is a common symptom in the older person. Whilst the majority of cases are thought to be mechanical or idiopathic and benign in nature, its multiple potential causes and concerns regarding missed diagnosis of less common but more serious underlying pathological diagnoses mean many physicians find the assessment, investigation and treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults challenging. This narrative review describes the classification of low back pain in older adults, discusses both mechanical and sinister causes of pain, highlights the appropriate use of medical imaging and provides an overview of surgical and non-surgical management of these patients.

Keywords: Back pain; Older people; Red flags.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Back Pain
Diagnosis, Differential
Disease Management*
Humans
Low Back Pain* / diagnosis
Low Back Pain* / etiology
Low Back Pain* / therapy