Approach to Low Back Pain and Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

Low back pain is a common presenting complaint with a large differential diagnosis. The first step is a focused history and physical exam to determine if there are any conditions that need to be emergently addressed. If there are not emergent conditions, conservative care should be trialed first, as acute back pain will often resolve on its own. If pain persists, physical therapy and conservative medication management should be trialed. If conservative measures do not alleviate pain, emerging evidence is demonstrating the therapeutic benefit of peripheral nerve stimulation on a variety of conditions causing low back pain.