Six back-pain warning signs that mean a doctor first, not treatment

Overview

Back pain is the commonest complaint in any clinic, and sometimes the most dangerous one arrives looking exactly the same. Neurotherapy (LMNT) teaching lists six findings that are checked in every patient, before anything is pressed.

Numbness in the seat or between the legs, new trouble holding or passing urine or stool, or weakness or shooting pain in both legs can mean the nerve bundle at the base of the spine is being squeezed. That is hospital today. Back pain in anyone ever treated for cancer, pain that wakes from sleep, a band-like pain or a new weakness can mean cancer has spread to the spine; the person goes to a doctor the same day.

A fall or sudden pain in a frail elder, a woman past menopause, someone on long-term steroids or someone who broke a bone from a small knock can mean a broken vertebra; an X-ray and a doctor come first. Severe constant spinal pain with fever or shivering, a recent injection in the back, or tuberculosis at home can mean infection in the spine.

One leg hot, swollen and tender after surgery, illness, a long journey or pregnancy may be a clot in a deep vein; that leg is not rubbed or moved, and the person is sent urgently. Weight falling off without trying must be investigated before any treatment, and is never called progress.

Key points

• Six warning findings are checked in every patient with back pain.
• Numbness in the seat with bladder or bowel trouble means hospital today.
• Past cancer, night pain or new weakness needs a doctor the same day.
• A hot, swollen leg is never rubbed.
• Unexplained weight loss is investigated, never called progress.

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This topic is part of: When the Hand Must Stop: Blocked Points and Safety in Neurotherapy (LMNT)