A comparison of Australian and European evidence-based guidelines for intervention in acute, non-specific low back pain

This review provides an overview of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for acute non-specific low back pain, first introduced in 1994. Since then 11 countries world-wide have produced similar guidelines, which are broadly consistent in their findings. The most recent guidelines were produced in Australia, as part of a wider evidence-based review of acute musculoskeletal pain. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines are a synthesis of the evidence available at the time of publication, and are employed as a method of aligning different treatment provider groups, including osteopaths, whilst encouraging the adoption of evidence-based 'best clinical practice'. This review provides an overview of evidence-based intervention in acute, non-specific low back pain from the Australian and European guidelines. The review also provides the reader with an insight into how the evidence was categorised in both jurisdictions, and highlights any discrepancies. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.