The question facing anyone contemplating a book on low back pain is: Why
write another book? It is certainly true that there are many books on
this topic addressing a wide variety of audiences. Some books are all
inclusive and scholarly in nature, others are personal descriptions of
diagnostic and treat- ment philosophies. This book is a combination of
these two extremes. It represents our views on the low back problem,
supported by scientific data. Most aspects on back pain presented in
this book can be found in other texts. The organization of the material
is unique, however. Our approach is to start by listening to and looking
at the patient. It becomes apparent, then, that patients can be
classified into one of the syn- dromes described in chapters 4 through
13. We believe that this syndrome classification, which is quite simple
to make clinically, will allow you to diagnose and treat your patients
more effectively. To set the stage for the syndrome chapters the first
three chapters of the book are generic to the remaining chapters. They
reviewe the epidemiology, pathology, biomechan- ics, etiologic theory,
diagnostic methods, and treatment modalities applicable to the low back
syndromes. They should be read before the syndrome chap- ters. At the
end of the book you will find four chapters that are specific to disease
entities.