What is a physical examination for low back pain?

Posted in: Assessment, Management    Keywords:


After your doctor finishes taking your medical history, he or she will usually examine your low back with a physical examination. The physical examination might include basic things like measuring your height, weight, pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. These are called your vital signs or simply vitals.

Your doctor might then ask you to move your back in different directions by bending forward, backward, side to side, and twisting left and right. Your doctor will see how far you can go and also ask you about pain you might have doing certain movements. This is called range of motion testing.

Your doctor might then ask you to do certain motions or activities to see if they affect your low back pain, or he or she might move you and watch your reaction. This is called orthopedic testing or provocative testing. Your doctor might also push on different areas of your spine to see exactly where the low back pain is located. This is called palpation. Both orthopedic testing and palpation might be a bit uncomfortable, but they can help your doctor understand more about your low back pain.

In certain cases, your doctor might also want to do other procedures that aren’t directly related to your low back pain. These include things like listening to your heart and lungs, examining your abdomen, and possibly a pelvic or rectal examination. This is usually done to rule out the possibility that your low back pain might be related to another medical condition.

 
Corporate Office: 2732 Transit Rd. West Seneca, NY 14224 | Phone (716) 712-2700 or 1-888-266-9041 | FAX (716) 712-2308
© 2006 - 2012 Palladian Health.