Management of chronic low back pain: a comprehensive approach

The treatment approach presented in this article is an obvious departure from ways physicians are typically trained to handle patients' pain complaints. Traditional medical training focuses primarily on the management of acute pain. Unfortunately, the treatment modalities appropriate for acute pain are not applicable to most chronic pain disorders. Since physicians' practices contain many chronic pain patients, it is important for them to develop a more comprehensive and effective approach to the management of CLBP. Through the use of case vignettes, this article has attempted to elucidate some common problems experienced by patients with CLBP. It is a complex disorder that requires that the physicians be sensitive to the biologic, psychologic, and social aspects of the illness. Simply handing a patient with CLBP a set of back exercises or prescriptions for narcotics and sedatives will not be beneficial. Rather, the patient must be educated about the pain and taught to take an active role in his own treatment. By working with patients and their families, physicians can teach patients with CLBP the self-management skills essential for the resumption of a normal, productive life.