Obtaining an accurate history and description of the back pain is a doctor's primary method of tracking down its cause and determining whether treatment is necessary. Questions include:
Where is the pain located? Is it confined to the lower back, or does it radiate to the buttocks and legs? (These questions check for sciatica.)
How severe is the pain? (A good description of pain intensity can help the doctor determine its cause.)
When the did the pain begin? (If the pain follows an injury, it is less likely to be due to a slowly progressing condition, such as spinal stenosis.)
What makes the back feel better or worse? (The pattern of pain may indicate whether a nerve is involved, possibly because of a disk herniation.)
Has there been a prior episode of back pain? If so, how was it treated, and how effective was the treatment? (The condition may have recurred.)
Are there any other health problems? (Weight loss and poor appetite, for example, raise the concern that cancer has spread to the vertebrae.)
Are any medications being taken, such as corticosteroids or anticonvulsants? (These can affect spinal bone mass.)
What is the person's profession, and what kinds of exercise or activities are being performed? (Muscle injury is frequently related to a particular activity.)
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