Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of discopathy (disc damage).
Family history
- Are there any diseases of the bones and joints in your family that are common?
Social history
- What is your profession?
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- Where is the pain localized?
- How long have you had the pain?
- Did the pain start slowly or suddenly?
- How severe is the pain?
- Can you please describe the pain in more detail? Is the pain more like:
- Dull?, stabbing?, burning?, pulling?
- Is the pain permanent, or does it also go away?
- When does the pain occur?
- During the day and/or at night?
- During stress and/or at rest?
- Was there a trigger for the pain?
- Suddenly after an exertion?
- Slowly increasing after previous low back pain?
- After a wrong movement?
- Lifting trauma, possibly combined with exposure to cold, climate change.
- After an accident?
- Have you been able to relieve pain by changing your posture? What posture has contributed to the relief?
- Did you take any pain pills? Did that help you?
- Is there a relationship between the pain and:
- Coughing?, walking?, standing?, sitting?, lying down?
- Is the pain respiratory, positional or food related?
- Is the pain associated with breathing?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is very mild and 10 is very severe, how severe is the pain?
- Does the pain radiate? If so, where to?
- Do you have any sensory disturbances/feelings?
- Do you suffer from muscle weakness?
- Have you noticed limited mobility?
- Have you noticed any new onset incontinence (inability to hold urine or stool)* ?
Vegetative history including nutritional history.
- Are you overweight? Please tell us your body weight (in kg) and height (in cm).
- Do you suffer from sleep disorders?
- Do you smoke? If yes, how many cigarettes, cigars or pipes per day?
- Do you drink alcohol? If yes, what drink(s) and how many glasses per day?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, what drugs and how often per day or per week?
- Do you participate in sports? If so, what sports discipline and how often per week?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Pre-existing conditions (degenerative bone/joint changes; lumbalgias (lumbago)).
- Accidents (e.g., whiplash of the cervical spine).
- Operations
- Allergies
Medication history
- Glucocorticoids are drugs against inflammation. They are also used for overactive immune systems – for example, allergic reactions. They can lead to osteoporosis-related fractures (broken bones) when used in long-term oral therapy (i.e., taking tablets), resulting in back pain.
Caution. Three months or longer of systemic glucocorticoid therapy increases the risk of osteoporosis by 30-50 percent. This side effect does not occur with metered dose aerosol therapy, such as bronchial asthma.
* If this question has been answered with “Yes”, an immediate visit to the doctor is required! (Information without guarantee)