PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mazanec, Daniel J.
TI  - Evaluating back pain in older patients
DP  - 1999 Feb 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 89--99
VI  - 66
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/66/2/89.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/66/2/89.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med1999 Feb 01; 66
AB  - Low back pain in the elderly has a much wider range of possible causes than in younger patients. In addition to nonspecific mechanical causes, malignancy presenting as back pain occurs more often in older patients. Other systemic and visceral causes of back pain such as polymyalgia rheumatica, aortic aneurysm, Paget disease, Parkinson disease, and osteoporosis with compression fracture occur almost exclusively in persons over age 50. Keys to diagnosis and management of low back pain in older patients are presented.