Care Plan
What Special Studies Should be Ordered?
Laboratory tests such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count (CBC), and urinalysis (UA) can be useful to screen for nonspecific medical diseases, e.g., infection or tumour of the low back.
Plain x-rays of the lumbosacral spine may be used to detect a potential anatomic reason for the dysfunction. They are not effective for diagnosing lumbar nerve root impingement of herniated disc or spinal stenosis, or for ruling out cancer or infection. The use of lumbar x-rays to screen for spinal degenerative changes, congenital anomalies, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, or scoliosis very rarely adds useful clinical information.
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Web Page Created June 6, 1999 Web Page Last Revised June 6, 1999 |