Young adults and lumbalgia

Lumbalgia or low back pain is a dangerous name. In the Emergency Department (ED) is a common  problem referred by patients. Usually is associated with a herniated intervertebral disc but also could be the alarm symptom of a spinal cord compression or a vertebral metastases and a complete anamnesis and physical examination are mandatory…

The problem is more complicated in young adults because it is not uncommon to relate low back pain with work or sport activities. When  the pain is caused by a tumor there is  an increase in the number of visits to the ED in a short period of time (one to three months) before a definitive diagnosis. Sometimes a plain X-ray shows subtle changes useful to achieve a correct diagnosis.