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October 15, 1949, Vol 141, No. 7 >
Other Articles | October 15, 1949

THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF "MECHANICAL BACKACHE"

GEORGE S. PHALEN, M.D.
JAMA. 1949;141(7):445-448. doi:10.1001/jama.1949.02910070017004.
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ABSTRACT

Pain in the lower part of the back is one of the most common complaints presented to the general practitioner. So common is this ailment, indeed, that the physician is apt to minimize its importance. Even when low back pain is the patient's major complaint, the physician may simply make a diagnosis of "arthritis," tell the patient there is nothing that can be done to cure the condition and prescribe some mild sedative for symptomatic relief. The lack of interest among members of the medical profession in this major problem has given impetus to the development of various medical cults and schools which specialize in the treatment of backache. All too frequently a patient with pain in the lower part of her back says that she consulted a mechanotherapist, a chiropractor or an osteopath first rather than her local physician because she believed these men were specialists in the treatment

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