Western Scientific Method Treatment for Low Back Pain

Diagnosis:

A clear WSM diagnosis is made difficult by the way the large lumbar muscles and dense lumbar fascia prevent accurate palpation of the deeper structures, and the common presence of referred pain. Althought recent improvements in imaging techniques, particularly CT scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have made the diagnosis of disc pathology much more accurate, many cases still seem to defy accurate diagnosis.

Patient examination will usually uncover whether the major tissues involved are myofascial or vertebral, and if vertebral which segment(s) are the culprits.

Categorization:

WSM categorizes it according to the tissues involved. The most common categories are:

1) Myofascial trigger point syndormes

2) Vertebral joint syndrome

3) Degenerative joint disease

4) Intervertebral disc syndromes

5) Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis

References

This information has been used with permission from Close to the Bone by David Legge.

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