Madigan Army Medical Center Referral Guidelines A condition of pain in the lower (lumbar-sacral) back region, with or without radiation of symptoms to the buttocks or lower extremities, of less than 6 weeks duration, in the non-pregnant patient.

Cauda equina syndrome refers to the simultaneous compression of multiple lumbosacral nerve roots below the level of the conus medullaris, resulting in a characteristic pattern of neuromuscular and urogenital symptoms.
Synonyms and related keywords: CES, lumbosacral nerve root compression, neuromuscular disorders, urogenital disorders, lumbar stenosis, lumbar disc herniation, spinal stenosis, incontinence
Eck, Hodges, Humphreys 2007

Clinical Standard for Low Back Pain in Adults Madigan Army Medical Center

MAMC Low Back Pain algorithm Page 2 Madigan Army Medical Center - Quality Division

MAMC Low Back Pain algorithm Page 3 Madigan Army Medical Center - Quality Division

Physical characteristics of the back are not predictive of low back pain in healthy workers: A prospective study An Van Nieuwenhuyse , Geert Crombez , Alex Burdorf , Geert Verbeke , Raphael Masschelein , Guido Moens and Philippe Mairiaux BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2009, 10:2 (full text available)
In the working population, back disorders are the most frequently occurring problem of the musculoskeletal system and an important reason for sick leave and permanent work inability. In the context of fitting the job to the worker, one of the primary tasks of the occupational health physician is to evaluate the balance between work-related and individual variables. Since this evaluation of work capacity often consists of a physical examination of the back, the objective of this study was to investigate whether a physical examination of the low back, which is routinely performed in occupational medicine, predicts the development of low back pain (LBP).