Primary care doctors shouldn't routinely order MRIs, CT scans and other diagnostic tests for patients with nonspecific low back pain, according to new joint guidelines for low back pain relief released by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society.

The new guidelines promote tests such as MRIs, CT scans and other diagnostic tests should only be reserved for patients with severe or progressive neurological deficits or suspected underlying conditions such as infection or cancer. This new guidelines has also included methods and guides to primary care doctors and other clinicians in gathering and interpreting information during a patient's first visit. This formula would place them in one of three general categories:

•    Nonspecific low back pain, which affects about 85 percent of patients.
•    Back pain potentially associated with spinal conditions, such as spinal stenosis, sciatica, or vertebral compression fracture.
•    Back pain potentially associated with another specific cause, such as cancer.

The panel of experts who developed the guidelines also reviewed evidence on drug therapies and non-drug treatments for acute and chronic low back pain. For patients who don't adhere to the medications and prescription drugs and should prefer tradition methods such as acupuncture and massage therapy, they can still achieve the same benefits, although not as proven effective as those warranted by the prescribed medicine.