Mechanical Low Back Pain: A 12-Week Rehab Protocol With Progression Criteria
A twelve-week framework to triage out specific pathology and radiculopathy, screen psychosocial risk, and confirm a non-specific, mechanical presentation.
Condition
Non-specific low back pain
Assessment frameworks, first-line management, and exercise dosing for non-specific low back pain.
ICD-10-CM: M54.5
Non-specific low back pain is the most common kind of back pain — the sort where scans don't point to a single clear cause, yet the ache, stiffness, or spasm is very real. Most people improve within a few weeks, and staying gently active usually beats resting in bed.
Physiotherapy focuses on easing your symptoms, rebuilding trust in movement, and getting you back to work and the things you enjoy — through graded exercise, simple pain education, and practical daily advice. For clinicians, first-line care leans on reassurance, screening for red flags, and progressive loading rather than routine imaging or long periods of rest.
Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Clinical Reasoning Framework
Low back pain is the single largest contributor to years lived with disability globally, yet in most presentations, no specific pathology can be reliably identified.