Neuropathic Low Back Pain: Evaluation of Diagnostic

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is progressively being considered to be a mixed pain syndrome combining both neuropathic and nociceptive components. Neuropathic LBP (NLBP) may still be underestimated. Objectives: to determine the correlation between the diagnosis of NLBP and the outcomes of MRI and Electrodiagnostic studies (EDX). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted and 427 patients with a history of LBP from both sexes were randomly enrolled. To assess neuropathic pain, a screening questionnaire called the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) was used. The evaluation involved the use of MRI and EDX (with a Paraspinal mapping technique). Results: According to DN4, there were 42.15% of patients suffering from NLBP, and their disabilities were more severe. Those who were investigated found that there were significant positive correlations between the results of diagnostic tests and the presence of neuropathic pain. The MRI was found to be more sensitive than the EDX, but the EDX was more specific. Conclusion: NLBP is regarded as one of the most common neuropathic pains in the population. MRI has a high sensitivity to identify structural abnormalities, while the EDX is specific in determining nerve root damage. Therefore, these diagnostic methods are needed to enrich the diagnosis and decide on the most appropriate plan of management.