Background
Low back pain (LBP) is well recognized as a public
health problem, impacting up to 80% of US adults at
some point in their lives [1]. Estimates of the point prevalence
vary from 12-33% and lifetime prevalence vary
from 11-84% [2]. The pathophysiology of patients with
LBP is not well understood. An estimated 90% of LBP
in clinical practice is labeled “idiopathic” [1], meaning
that the mechanism is unclear. Given how little we
know about the underlying causes of LBP, it is not surprising
that a gold standard treatment does not currently
exist. A recent survey to determine health care
utilization patterns in patients with chronic LBP, found
this population demonstrated an average of 21 visits
annually to just under three (2.7) different provider