Objective: To describe the demographic profile and the management of patients with low back pain (LBP) complaints presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of a Brazilian public hospital. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of patients with LBP triaged at the studied ED through the Manchester Triage System along a year. Data were extracted from electronic medical records. LBP presentations were classified as non-traumatic, traumatic, and non-spinal related pain according to the signs and symptoms reported. Data included patients’ demographic profile, pain severity and management (e.g., imaging exams, medication prescription and hospitalization). Results: Data from 2016 patients was analyzed. Most were middle-aged adults (mean age = 40.5years, SD 15.7), female (n = 1043, 51.7%) and presented moderate pain intensity (score range 4 to 7 on the Visual Analogue Scale, n=1,471; 74.1%). Non-traumatic pain (n = 1,016; 50.4%) was the main cause of care-seeking. A total of 36.9% (n = 743) underwent imaging exams and 42.2% (n = 850) received medication. Patients with non-spinal related pain were three times more likely to receive opioid medication (OR = 2.96; 95%CI 2.30 to 3.79). Conclusion: Non-traumatic LBP (i.e., no history of trauma or red flags) was the main cause of LBP care-seeking in a Brazilian ED. Most patients were treated conservatively and without hospitalization. Opioids prescription and imaging exams, although performed on a smaller scale, were still used for of the management of this type of LBP.
Pain One Week After an Emergency Department Visit for Acute Low Back Pain Is Associated With Poor Three‐month Outcomes