10th Annual Spine Care Conference for the Primary Care Practitioner

The need for current information and treatment options for neck and back pain has been identified through previous course participant evaluations and community physician annual needs assessment surveys. This course is designed to change physician competence in the management of patients with diverse spinal disorders and conditions, often not provided in primary medical education. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that an estimated 70% of people will have back pain sometime in their lives. In the United States, low back pain is one of the most common reasons for physician visits. Approximately 90% of acute episodes resolve within 6 weeks. However, 25% or more of patients have recurrent pain within the next year, and chronic low back pain develops in up to 7% of patients. The most common problem (85% of cases) is “nonspecific” or “idiopathic” low back pain, and it is this disorder that is most often associated with chronic or recurrent symptoms. This year’s conference will specifically address all of these educational needs including discussion on current and future technologies of spine care.