[The new NICE guidelines on lower back pain emphasise the importance of clinical assessment. Radiological imaging methods are used primarily to exclude severe diseases, such as tumour, infection, trauma or inflammation. It’s crucial to inform patients and encourage them to use self-management and stay active. Pain management is guided by the analgesic ladder. A complex physical and psychological treatment is used, which involves a structured exercise programme, manual therapy and acupuncture, taking into account the preferences of the patient. Depending on the aetiology, surgical intervention should be considered in therapy-resistant cases. Finally, the authors compare the above guidelines with the Hungarian practice in this field.]

[Lumbar synovial cysts are infrequent but characteristic manifestations of the commonly encountered but rather complex degenerative disorders affecting the lumbar zygapophyseal joints. The anatomical disposition of the different components of the lumbar motion segment, their sensory innervation and their topographic relationship with the neighbouring nerve structures explain why the neurogical manifestations of these affections, as well as of other articular disorders, cannot always be distinguished from those of discal origin. However, modern imaging methods allow the resolution of the radiological and consequently of the clinical differential diagnostic problems. The systematic use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of low back pain syndromes has resulted in the recognition and precise description of the practically pathognomonic „radiological syndrome” of the synovial cysts of the lumbar zygapophyseal joints.]

[It is estimated that 80% of the adult population consult their general practitioner for lower back pain at some point in their life. Apart from family doctors all medical specialists may encounter this complaint, which makes the wide-spread knowledge of this topic desirable. Pain associated with spinal diseases has two distinct types, non-inflammatory and inflammatory pain. Non-inflammatory diseases may cause moderate pain that increases with movement or functional limitation lasting for a few days, other times cause a pain pattern of varying intensity that radiates to the lower extremities and is accompanied by neurological symptoms, more rarely, present as cauda equina syndrome. In most cases, the underlying cause of the symptoms is a degenerative disorder of the spine. Spinal pain of inflammatory origin, on the other hand, is characterized by pain that worsens at night, characteristically narrowed mobility, changes in the skin, mucous membranes and joints, and sometimes fever or bad general condition. This type of pain is primarily caused by seronegative spondyloarthritis or, rarely, various pyogenic or non-pyogenic bacterial infections. Management of lower back pain aims to cease pain and restore function. These are achieved by unloading, medical pain relief, antiinflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and antidepressants, as well as physiotherapy. In special cases the administration of other drugs (e.g., antibiotics) may be necessary along with pain relief. In seronegative spondyloarthritis traditional approaches will hopefully be supplemented by biological therapy in the future. This review of recently published results on spinal diseases accompanied by lower back pain will possibly help doctors in state-of-the art care of their patients.]

[Background and purpose - The purpose of our study was to outline the Hungarian validation process of the Oswestry Disability Index, the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale, the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Core Outcome Measurement Index, as well as to draw up recommendations regarding their future applications. Methods - The Hungarian versions were brought to life after a cultural and linguistic adaptation. Next to the above-mentioned questionnaires, the questionnaire booklet used for validation also contained the WHOQoL-BREF general quality of life questionnaire and a pain measuring Visual Analog Scale. The data of low-back pain patients were registered twice in two weeks. We determined the internal homogeneity (Cronbach alpha), reproducibility, standard error of measurement and the minimal detectable change of the questionnaires. Patients were assigned into different two subgroups (surgical / non-surgical, with / without affection of nerve roots) and differences between the subgroups were examined with the help of the questionnaires. We determined the physical subscale of the WHOQoL-BREF and the correlation between the pain and the studied questionnaires. Results - The value of Cronbach alpha was between 0.85 and 0.95. All four questionnaires showed significant differences (p<0.001) between the subgroups. The correlation studies brought strong and significant results (p<0.001, r>0.5) in every case. The values of reproducibility were between 0.93-0.92. The results of standard measurement error: 4.8 (Oswestry), 5.2 (Quebec), 1.6 (Roland-Morris), 0.59 (Core Index). The minimal detectable change was 13; 14; 4, and 2 points, respectively. Conclusion - The Hungarian versions of all four questionnaires are valid. They can be applied with scientific certainty to measure low back pain patients. From the studied questionnaires, we especially recommend the wide-raging application of the Oswestry Disability Index and the Core Outcome Measurement Index based on their psychometric and application features. ]