Low-back pain: consider extension education

Treatment of low-back pain has evolved in the past 15 years away from a reliance on x-rays for diagnosis, prolonged bed rest for pain relief, and surgery for treatment. Mechanical low-back pain is now recognized as a generally self-limiting condition, which for most patients resolves in a few weeks with conservative treatment. Early mobilization is helpful: The McKenzie technique can help identify appropriate rehabilitation exercises, which for most patients are not flexion but extension exercises.