Low Back Pain—Should I Image?

Abstract

Low back pain is a common reason for patients to visit their GP. Following initial assessment, the GP is often presented with a dilemma of whether to get an x-ray or not. Imaging is often requested to reassure both the patient and the clinician that there is no serious underlying cause. The purpose of this article is to explain the merits of the common imaging modalities and enable the clinician to request imaging appropriately, with knowledge of the limitations of each technique. See curriculum statement below.