Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2026

Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 13, 2024
Imaging of adults with low back pain in the primary care setting
1Departments of Radiology, Neurosurgery, Medicine, and Health Services, Center for Cost and Outcomes Research, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. jarvikj@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
The evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of the four main imaging modalities used in low back pain (plain radiographs, CT, MR imaging, radionuclide bone scans) is variable in quality and limits the ultimate conclusions regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of diagnostic strategies. In addition, the frequent finding of abnormalities in normal adults limits the specificity of all of these tests. Nevertheless, MR imaging is likely in most cases to offer the greatest sensitivity and specificity for systemic diseases, and its performance is superior to that of radiographs and comparable with CT and radionuclide bone scans for most conditions causing neurologic compromise.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Ultrasonography
During an ultrasonography procedure, a handheld device called a...
Radiological Investigation I: X-ray and CT
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Imaging Studies I: CT and MRI
Description of the Procedures
Computed Tomography (CT) scan:
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use X-ray technology to generate detailed images of bones, organs, and tissues. During the scan, the patient lies on a moving table...
X-ray Imaging
![Quantitative [18F]-Naf-PET-MRI Analysis for the Evaluation of Dynamic Bone Turnover in a Patient with Facetogenic Low Back Pain](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F58491.jpg&w=3840&q=50)