Neurosurgical Evaluation for Patients with Chronic Lower Back Pain.

Literature shows that only a minority of patients with CLBP may benefit from a surgical procedure. These patients that present to clinic often have been ailing for a considerable amount of time and are eager for effective treatment to alleviate pain. However, determining if a patient with CLBP is a surgical candidate is predicated upon having no success of pain relief with non-operative management. Patients with CLBP require thorough and adequate imaging, clinical exam, and diagnostic evaluation. When adequate non-operative management was provided, and proven fruitless, the patient may be considered an operative candidate. In this manuscript, a framework is presented for workup and evaluation of patients with CLBP.