Chronic Back Pain in the Elderly: Spinal Stenosis

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a common reason for physician office visits among the elderly. Predictive factors for CLBP are female sex, social isolation, hypertension, and joint pain. In the elderly, CLBP may be related to degenerative spinal stenosis with disk degeneration and overall spondylosis. A detailed medical history and a targeted, comprehensive physical examination are the initial approaches to rule out underlying disease that requires urgent attention. Clinical and evidence-based approaches to management suggest avoiding early MRI or CT, as imaging in elderly patients has proven both impractical and uneconomical. Instead, good clinical judgment should be used for making diagnoses. Consensus on the best initial approaches for managing CLBP has not yet been achieved, and conservative therapy is suggested, varying from use of pharmacologic agents, physical therapy, electrical stimulation, and physical manipulations to epidural injections. Surgical alternatives are avoided due to confounding and multiple comorbidities in older patients.