Low Back Pain Guidelines

This page highlights all the available guidelines for low back pain from the international community.  If you know of any more please add them to this page or email them to us.

Guidelines

1. George SZ, Fritz JM, Silfies SP, Schneider MJ, Beneciuk JM, Lentz TA, Gilliam JR, Hendren S, Norman KS, Beattie PF, Bishop MD. Interventions for the management of acute and chronic low back pain: revision 2021: clinical practice guidelines linked to the international classification of functioning, disability and health from the academy of orthopaedic physical therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2021 Nov;51(11):CPG1-60.
2. Stochkendahl MJ, Kjaer P, Hartvigsen J, et al. National Clinical Guidelines for non-surgical treatment of patients with recent onset low back pain or lumbar radiculopathy. Eur Spine J 2018; 27: 60-75
   
3. Toward Optimized Practice (TOP) Low Back Pain Working Group. Evidence-informed primary care management of Low Back Pain: Clinical Practice Guideline. Edmonton, AB: Toward Optimized Practice. 2017 (3rd edition)
4. Brussels: Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), Van Wambeke P, Desomer A, Ailliet L, et al. Low back pain and radicular pain: assessment and management. KCE report 287Cs. Summary: 2017.
   
5. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, et al. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med 2017; 166: 514-530. 2017
   
6. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. NICE guideline [NG59]. London: NICE, 2016.
7. Amersfoort: Royal Dutch Society of Physiotherapists (KNGF). J.B. Staal, E.J.M. Hendriks, M. Heijmans, H. Kiers, A.M. Lutgers-Boomsma, G. Rutten, M.W. van Tulder, J. den Boer, R. Ostelo, J.W.H. Custers. Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy guidelines for low back pain (KNGF). 2013
   
8. Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Low back Pain. Clinical Practice Guidelines Linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. 2012
9. Andry Vleeming, Hanne B Albert, Hans Christian Östgaard, Britt Stuge, Bengt Sturesson On behalf of the COST B13 Working Group on Guidelines for Chronic Low BackPain. European guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic girdle pain. 2008.
   
10. AK Burton, F Balagué, G Cardon, HR Eriksen, Y Henrotin, A Lahad, A Leclerc, G Müller, AJ van der Beek On behalf of the COST B13 Working Group on Guidelines for Prevention in Low Back Pain. European guidelines for prevention in low back pain. 2006.
    
11. Maurits van Tulder, Annette Becker, Trudy Bekkering, Alan Breen, Maria Teresa Gil del Real, Allen Hutchinson, Bart Koes, Even Laerum, Antti Malmivaara, on behalf of the COST B13 Working Group on Guidelines for the Management of Acute Low Back Pain in Primary Care. European guidelines for the management of acute nonspecific low back pain in primary care. 2006.
    
12. O Airaksinen, JI Brox, C Cedraschi, J Hildebrandt, J Klaber-Moffett, F Kovacs, AF Mannion, S Reis, JB Staal, H Ursin, G Zanoli On behalf of the COST B13 Working Group on Guidelines for Chronic Low BackPain. European guidelines for the management of chronic non-specific low back pain. 2006.
    
13. New Zealand Acute Low Back Pain Guidelines the best practice evidence based guideline from New Zealand Guideline Group. 2004.
14. The Norwegian Back Pain Network - The communication unit. Acute low back pain. Interdisciplinary clinical guidelines. Oslo, 2002: The Norwegian Back Pain Network.
15. WHO guideline for non-surgical management of chronic primary low back pain in adults in primary and community care settings. WHO guideline for non-surgical management of chronic primary low back pain in adults in primary and community care setting 2023.
16. Low Back Pain Clinical Standard 2022 .