The Chinese Association for the Study of Pain (CASP): Consensus on the Assessment and Management of Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain

Table 2

Diagnostic protocol for nonspecific LBP.

Measures	Key points
(A) History inquiry
Duration of LBP	Acute pain: within 4 weeks; subacute pain: 4 to 12 weeks; chronic pain: >12 weeks
Location of pain	Lumbosacral region
Characteristic of pain	Localized pain, radiating pain, burning sensation
Duration of pain attack	Consistent pain, intermittent pain, and night time episode
Sensory change	Numbness, stiffness, hypoesthesia, and noseresthesia
Other aspects	Education, occupation, BMI, infection, cancer, osteoporosis, endocrinopathy, history of trauma, and spine surgery
(B) Physical examination
Inspection	Spine deformity, local condition
Palpation	Tenderness
Percussion	Percussion pain
(C) Accessory examination
Signs	Lasegue test, Bragard sign, Gaenslen test, and Waddell test
Imaging test	Plain radiography, CT, and MRI
Electrophysiology	Electromyography and somatosensory evoked potential
Laboratory test	Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C reactive protein, and HLA-B27