OBJECTIVE: To help Alberta clinicians make evidence-informed decisions about care of patients with non-specific low back pain. Target POPULATION: Adult patients 18 years or older in primary care settings. EXCLUSIONS: Pregnant women; patients under the age of 18 years; diagnosis or treatment of specific causes of low back pain such as: surgical conditions including instability; referred pain (from abdomen, kidney, ovary, pelvis, bladder); inflammatory conditions (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis); infections (discitis, osteomyelitis, epidural abscess); degenerative and structural changes (spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, gross scoliosis and/or kyphosis); fracture; neoplasm; metabolic bone disease (osteoporosis, osteomalacia, Paget's disease).

Full text may be available from the publisher

Additional document(s) available for this guideline:

• quick reference guide
• consumer resource (chronic low back pain)
• consumer resource (acute low back pain)
• other supporting material (clinical assessment of psychosocial yellow flags)
• other supporting material (what can be done to help someone who is at risk)
• other supporting material (supporting resources)