Treatment strategy for chronic low back pain.

The management of non-specific low back pain relies chiefly on analgesics, education, and physical exercises. Of the many risk factors for chronicity, the most relevant are psychosocial and occupational. Identifying homogeneous patient subgroups helps to develop personalized treatment strategies, thus improving the outcomes. Current clinical research is focusing on subgroup identification via simple validated questionnaires that are suitable for use in everyday practice. We suggest a management approach leading from the individual patient profile to the treatment strategy.