Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Jeremy D. Whyman, Rosanne M. Leipzig
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters5 December 2017Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back PainJeremy D. Whyman, MD and Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhDJeremy D. Whyman, MDBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (J.D.W.)Search for more papers by this author and Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhDIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (R.M.L.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0473 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We were pleased to see Qaseem and colleagues' guideline on noninvasive treatments for low back pain (1). However, we were surprised at the lack of caveats on treatment of older adults or discussion of the age of patients in the evidentiary trials. The stakes of improperly treated back pain may be high in older adults. Each year, nearly 17 million persons aged 65 years or older experience back pain. Age greater than 75 years and osteoporosis are “red flags” that can indicate a serious underlying pathology, such as a vertebral fracture (2). Older adults with chronic low ...References1. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians.. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166:514-30. [PMID: 28192789]. doi:10.7326/M16-2367 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Enthoven WT, Geuze J, Scheele J, Bierma-Zeinstra SM, Bueving HJ, Bohnen AM, et al. Prevalence and “red flags” regarding specified causes of back pain in older adults presenting in general practice. Phys Ther. 2016;96:305-12. [PMID: 26183589] doi:10.2522/ptj.20140525 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Weiner DK, Haggerty CL, Kritchevsky SB, Harris T, Simonsick EM, Nevitt M, et al; Health, Aging, and Body Composition Research Group.. How does low back pain impact physical function in independent, well-functioning older adults? Evidence from the Health ABC Cohort and implications for the future. Pain Med. 2003;4:311-20. [PMID: 14750907] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Maes ML, Fixen DR, Linnebur SA. Adverse effects of proton-pump inhibitor use in older adults: a review of the evidence. Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety. 2017;8 9 273-97. doi:10.1177/2042098617715381. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Alvarez CA, Mortensen EM, Makris UE, Berlowitz DR, Copeland LA, Good CB, et al. Association of skeletal muscle relaxers and antihistamines on mortality, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits in elderly patients: a nationwide retrospective cohort study. BMC Geriatr. 2015;15:2. [PMID: 25623366] doi:10.1186/1471-2318-15-2 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (J.D.W.)Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (R.M.L.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0473. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoNoninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians Amir Qaseem , Timothy J. Wilt , Robert M. McLean , Mary Ann Forciea , and Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Ivan Vucina Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Sandeep Vijan , Scott Manaker , and Amir Qaseem Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Donald M. Marcus Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Alain Braillon Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Mark Collen Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Donald R. Murphy , Michael J. Schneider , Christopher G. Bise , and Brian Justice Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Lisa H. Le and Robert G. Badgett Metrics Cited byComparing the efficacy of two different temperature stimulation in warm acupuncture on acute low back pain: A randomized controlled trial 5 December 2017Volume 167, Issue 11Page: 834-835KeywordsElderlyHemorrhageHip fracturesHospitalizationsLower back painNSAIDsOsteoporosisPneumoniaSkeletal musclesTreatment guidelines ePublished: 5 December 2017 Issue Published: 5 December 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...