Musculoskeletal
48
Lower Back Pain See further medical attention immediately if there is any of the following warning signs.
Symptoms and signs
Serious cause of lower back pain
Warning sign
Cancer
- Previous history of cancer - Unexplained weight loss
Pott’s disease (tuberculosis of spine)
- Low grade fever - Chronic cough with bloody sputum - Night sweat
Cauda equina syndrome (compression of the nerve in spinal cord)
- Urinary and faecal incontinence - Weakness in muscle and or sensory abnormalities - Loss of sensation in the inner thigh buttocks
Compressed nerve
- Muscle weakness / wasting - Numbness of limbs
Fracture
- Severe trauma: fall from height - Corticosteroid use - Osteoporosis (women in menopause) - Pain in spine relieved by lying down
Infection
- Severe pain after surgery in nearby site - Fever - Urinary tract infection - Immunosuppression - Intravenous drug user - Previous cancer
