Diagnosing the cause of back pain
Blood tests
In common
back pain, blood test results are normal. Blood tests are used
to rule out general diseases that may cause back pain, such as infections,
inflammatory illnesses and some tumors.
The existing recommendations
based on scientific evidence only advise blood testing when the
patient's previous history, pain characteristics or physical examination
outcome suggest that back pain is due to a general disease and not
to common back pain. It is especially useful in instances of infection
or inflammatory processes, such as psoriatic rheumatism or ankylosing
spondylitis. In this case, it is recommended to order blood tests
along with radiological testing (X-rays, CT scan or MRI).
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Diagnostic tests
