Examination of a 40-year-old with Mechanical Back Pain course for GPs
This session uses a video clip to demonstrate how to carry out a focused, problem-based physical examination on a patient presenting with acute mechanical back pain in primary care.
This session was reviewed by Khyati Bakhai and last updated in July 2018.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Describe an appropriate problem-based examination for a man presenting with acute low back pain
- Carry out a careful examination of the back to help exclude serious pathology
Back pain is the largest single cause of loss of working hours in both manual and sedentary workers. It is also a common presenting symptom in general practice. General practitioners (GPs) need to be able to choose an appropriate problem-based examination to be able to make a diagnosis and exclude serious pathology.
Before commencing this session you should:
- Complete the introductory session to this module: Introduction to Physical Examination (400-0001)
- Be working or training in a general practice context
Judith has worked as a GP for more than thirty years. She has a special interest in GP education and has been a trainer and course organiser. She is an examiner for the Royal College of General Practitioners and is a member of the Case Management Group for the FRCGP exam and the Work Based Place Assessment Group.
Judith is a member of the Steering Group for the Physical Examination Module for e-Learning.
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