Brain Injury and Neurological Disorders

The lumbo-sacral spinal exam is a vital component of the patient, encounter when evaluating for back pain, leg pain, paresthesias, weakness, or change in gait. It should be performed in an optimal manner that is evidenced based with the patient strongly encouraged to fully participate in. It need not be superfluous or tedious if it is focused based on the patient history. I usually perform a complete exam on the initial visit and a focused exam on follow-up visits. This usually includes examination of the hips and lower extremities as well. This workshop will focus on patients with complaints related to the lumbo-sacral spine. It is important to keep in mind that no single data point from the history or from the physical, radiographic or electromyographic exam can definitively make a diagnosis. Multiple data points should be collected and a differential diagnosis should then be drawn from these data.