Beware of the Film Findings!: Low Back Pain Patients and Healthy Volunteers Have A Similar X-Ray Appearance.

Low back pain (LBP) affects 20 to 30% of the United States general population, making it the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the U.S. The resultant financial burden on the U.S. health care industry continues to rise each year with recent estimates of over $80 billion spent annually. However, despite the dramatic rise in health care utilization and costs for this complaint, self-reported outcomes have not improved. The radiographic analysis of a healthy asymptomatic population vs. a cohort of LBP patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease, specifically as it relates to posture, spinal alignments, including lumbar lordosis, as well as other findings, may provide insight to more effectively care for the LBP patient and, in return, possibly help to rein in related health care costs.