One of the trickiest things to know when you have low back pain is who to see first for help. Do you see the GP? Chiro? Physio? Should I get a scan first?

 

A common opening line from new patients is “I wasn’t sure who I should see first…”. This isn’t surprising as there is a lot of conflicting information out there on the topic. So, here is a quick guide to help you know where to start after you have an episode of low back pain.

 

The good news is only about 1-5% of back pain is caused by serious disease or injury. If your back pain was caused by trauma, this may have caused a fracture, so a scan is a good place to start. Similarly, if you are experiencing urinary retention, loss of power or sensation in a limb, then a scan is also a good place to start.

 

If you back pain is associated with a fever or history of malignancy, then its best to get screened by your GP. Also, if you back pain is associated with abdominal pain or discomfort or painful urination your GP is the best starting point.

 

If none of these are present then you are likely in 95% of people with what is categorised as “non-specific low back pain” which respond very well to manual therapy and rehab, so a well recommended Chiro or Physio is a great place to start. And the good news is all primary health care practitioners in Australia are trained to screen for non-musculoskeletal (muscle, ligament and joint) issues and will refer you back to use GP for further assess if there is something you have missed.

If this sounds like you and you’d like to book an appointment, you can do that by clicking here.