[Physical functional level and chronic back pain. Methods for an objective assessment as a part of diagnosis and treatment].

Low back pain is a benign situation which affects 50 to 80% of all people in the course of their lives. Usually it heals within some weeks. The few who do not get better within some months are in serious danger of ending up in a human, social and medical impasse. In this respect, ordinary clinical examination methods are of limited value. Functional examination is a very important tool both clinically and from the aspect of health insurance. Work physiological function measurements give possibilities of comparing the information on patients with normative data. They also establish a basis for quality control after treatment. The purpose of this article is to describe measurement methods to assess the level of physical function of persons with chronic back pain. The criteria for choosing the methods of examination are also discussed.