Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. This article highlights the importance of succinct history taking and a thorough clinical examination when managing a patient with lower back pain in hospital. Furthermore, it encourages the clinician to consider the pertinent causes of low back pain such as age-related degeneration, malignancy, trauma, infection and seronegative inflammatory spondyloarthropathies, and looks at the diagnosis, imaging features and key management options which are available in secondary care.
Keywords: Ankylosing spondylitis; Cauda equina syndrome; Discitis; Lumbosacral pain; Metastasis; Osteomyelitis; Sciatica; Spinal fractures.