Emergency department management of dangerous back pain in children

Back pain in the pediatric population remains an unusual and concerning complaint that may be an indicator of serious underlying pathology. This issue reviews rare but dangerous etiologies of pediatric back pain and highlights signs and symptoms that may raise a red flag for potentially dangerous etiologies of back pain among children and teens. The evaluation of these patients, including judicious and effective imaging recommendations, is also discussed. A data-driven algorithm for evaluating patients can save the majority of patients from the expense and anxiety of unnecessary testing while effectively identifying the most appropriate means (and locations) for working up pathologic pediatric back pain.