Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Picture the scene…

A 76 year old man presents to the ED with sudden onset back pain after trying to carry his luggage to the car. He’s keen to get some pain killers and leave to catch his plane as soon as he can

Learning Objective

To learn about the management of the patient with back pain in the Emergency Department.

Task 1 – Read

Task 2 – Listen

Task 3 – Discuss

Task 4 – Summary

Task 5 – Reflect

References and Further Reading

  1. 1
    May N. Back to Basics – Back Pain in the ED. St Emlyn’s. 2015; published online Aug 20. https://www.stemlynsblog.org/back-to-basics-back-pain-in-the-ed/ (accessed June 6, 2020).
  2. 2
    Micks T. How useful is the physical examination in suspected cauda equina syndrome? Canadiem.Org. 2017; published online Aug 8. https://canadiem.org/how-useful-is-the-physical-examination-in-suspected-cauda-equina-syndrome/ (accessed June 6, 2020).
  3. 3
    Domen PM, Hofman PA, van Santbrink H, Weber WEJ. Predictive value of clinical characteristics in patients with suspected cauda equina syndrome. European Journal of Neurology 2009; : 416–9.