Abstract

The rationale of this presentation ist to combine knowlegde and experience with the management of low back pain in the general patient population with expertise in the management of athletes to develop a safe, efficient clinical protocol for managing high performance athletes with acute low back pain. The protocol is designed to assist the therapist, athletic trainer, and medical doctor in assessing the athlete, and selecting an appropriate treatment program. The goal is to minimize the time away from training, conditioning, and competition without compromising the evaluation or treatment of the athlete. The evlaluation is designed to characterize the condition in stages of increasing severity. The management programs are categorized in cycles designed to be coupled with the appropriate stage as determined by the evaluation. The patient then progresses through the treatment cycles back to athletic competition or towards consultation by a spine specialist. Verf.-Referat