Acute low back pain: diagnosis and management of mechanical back pain.

Low back pain is the most common musculoskeletal complaint seen in an ambulatory care setting and affects 80 per cent of all persons at some time in their lives. It is the number one cause of activity restriction in people under 45. With the exception of progressive neuromotor compromise, the initial treatment of nearly all causes of LBP is conservative: the use of analgesics and/or anti-inflammatory agents, bed rest, and patient education.