08/18/2026
Have you ever been told you have “lumbago”? 🤔
At first, it may sound like a vague, outdated, or even “junk” diagnosis. Lumbago is a general term for low-back pain—it describes where someone hurts, but not necessarily the exact structure causing the pain.
However, that doesn’t mean the term is always meaningless.
When used after a thorough history and physical examination, it may reflect that the clinician has screened for red flags and considered other potentially serious causes of low-back pain. If those findings aren’t present, the condition may be classified more broadly as nonspecific or mechanical low-back pain.
In this short video, I explain what “lumbago” really means—and why the examination behind the label matters more than the label itself.
If you find this helpful, please like, follow, and share. Have a question or a topic you’d like me to cover next? Leave it in the comments!
— Dr. Aaron Sakevich
Element Spine & Wellness
