Low back disorders: conservative management.

Painful disorders of the low back may arise from a large variety of mechanisms and there is no simple, single solution to them. They have a great social and economic cost in industrialized countries. The major syndromes of low back pain and sciatica are reviewed, including myofascial pain syndromes, disc herniations, radiculopathies, spinal stenosis and facet syndromes. Non-operative management is reviewed, including bed rest, medications, traction, manipulation, external supports, physical modalities, therapeutic exercise, trigger point injection and chemonucleolysis. Prevention should become the main goal of physicians dealing with this multifaceted problem.