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Tests for Diagnosing Back Pain

The following are some of the tests used to diagnose the source of back pain:

Ankylosing spondylitis exams and tests

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA)

Recommended Related to Back Pain

Low Back Strain

Low back pain is a fact of life. Just about everybody will suffer from it sooner or later. One of the main causes of back pain, whether acute or chronic, is low back strain. So what is low back strain? A series of muscles and ligaments in your back hold the bones of your spinal column in place. You can strain these muscles by stretching them too far, causing tiny tears in the tissue. The muscles are then weakened, so they may not be able to hold the bones of your spinal column in place correctly...

Read the Low Back Strain article > >

Bone density tests

Bone scan

Chemistry screen

Complete blood count (CBC)

Computed tomography (CT) scan

C-reactive protein

Discography

Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)

Human leukocyte antigen-B27 (HLA-B27) testing

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Myelography (Rarely used)

Rheumatoid factor (RF)

Spinal X-ray

WebMD Medical Reference

Reviewed by Kimball Johnson, MD on June 29, 2012

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