PRIMARY CARE

cause of work-related disability, in terms of workers

compensation and medical expenses.1 Risk factors include heavy lifting and twisting, bodily vibration, obesity, and poor conditioning, although low back pain is
common even in people without these risk factors.16

Primary Care
L OW B ACK P AIN
RICHARD A. DEYO, M.D., M.P.H.,
AND JAMES N. WEINSTEIN, D.O.

DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION

BOUT two thirds of adults suffer from low

back pain at some time. Low back pain is second to upper respiratory problems as a symptom-related reason for visits to a physician.1,2 There are
wide variations in care, a fact that suggests there is professional uncertainty about the optimal approach.3,4 In
addition, there is evidence of excessive imaging and
surgery for low back pain in the United States,5-8 and
many experts believe the problem has been overmedicalized.9-11 In recent years, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has come to be widely used, the roles of
exercise and bed rest have been clarified, and more information has been gained from clinical trials.
CAUSES AND EPIDEMIOLOGIC PATTERNS

Experimental studies suggest that low back pain may

originate from many spinal structures, including ligaments, facet joints, the vertebral periosteum, the
paravertebral musculature and fascia, blood vessels,
the anulus fibrosus, and spinal nerve roots. Perhaps
most common are musculoligamentous injuries and
age-related degenerative processes in the intervertebral disks and facet joints. Other common problems
include spinal stenosis and disk herniation. Stenosis is
narrowing of the central spinal canal or its lateral recesses, typically from hypertrophic degenerative changes in spinal structures (Fig. 1). Table 1 provides a broad
differential diagnosis for low back pain, with estimates
of prevalence in office practice.2,12-14
Perhaps 85 percent of patients with isolated low
back pain cannot be given a precise pathoanatomical
diagnosis. The association between symptoms and imaging results is weak.15 Thus, nonspecific terms, such
as strain, sprain, or degenerative processes, are commonly used.2,13 Strain and sprain have never been anatomically or histologically characterized, and patients
given these diagnoses might accurately be said to have
idiopathic low back pain.
Low back pain affects men and women equally, with
onset most often between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
It is the most common cause of work-related disability
in people under 45 years of age and the most expensive

Because a precise anatomical diagnosis is elusive, diagnostic evaluation is often frustrating for both physicians and patients. Rather than perform an exhaustive search, it is generally more useful to address three
questions: Is a systemic disease causing the pain? Is
there social or psychological distress that may amplify
or prolong the pain? Is there neurologic compromise
that may require surgical evaluation? For most patients,
these questions can be answered from a careful history taking and physical examination, and imaging is often unnecessary.13
Medical History

Clues to underlying systemic disease include the patients age; a history of cancer, unexplained weight loss,
injection-drug use, or chronic infection; the duration
of pain; the presence of nighttime pain; and the response to previous therapy. In many patients whose
low back pain is due to infection or cancer, the pain
is not relieved when the patient lies down. However,
this finding is not specific for the presence of these
conditions. Inflammatory spondyloarthropathy is most
common in men under 40 years of age, but clinical
and demographic characteristics have limited accuracy.13,17,18 Inflammatory arthritis of the hips or knees
increases the likelihood of spondylitis.17
Neurologic involvement is usually suggested by the
presence of sciatica or pseudoclaudication (leg pain
after walking that mimics ischemic claudication). The
leg pain of sciatica or pseudoclaudication is often associated with numbness or paresthesia, and sciatica
due to disk herniation typically increases with cough,
sneezing, or performance of the Valsalva maneuver.
Bowel or bladder dysfunction may be a symptom of
severe compression of the cauda equina (cauda equina
syndrome). This rare condition is usually caused by a
tumor or a massive midline disk herniation. Urinary retention with overflow incontinence is usually present,
often in association with sensory loss in a saddle distribution, bilateral sciatica, and leg weakness.13 Prolonged
back pain may be associated with the failure of previous
treatment, depression, and somatization. Substance
abuse, job dissatisfaction, pursuit of disability compensation, and involvement in litigation may also be associated with persistent unexplained symptoms.1,19-21
Physical Examination

From the Departments of Medicine and Health Services and the Center
for Cost and Outcomes Research, University of Washington, Seattle
(R.A.D.); and the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences and the Department of Surgery, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H. (J.N.W.).
Address reprint requests to Dr. Deyo at the Center for Cost and Outcomes
Research, University of Washington, Box 358853, Seattle, WA 98195.

Fever suggests the possibility of spinal infection.

Vertebral tenderness has sensitivity for infection but
not specificity. The finding of soft-tissue tenderness is
not reproducible from one examiner to another. Lim-

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The Ne w E n g l a nd Jo u r n a l o f Me d ic i ne

Ligamentum3
flavum
Superior articular3
process

Transverse process
Spinous process

L3

Intervertebral foramen
Pars interarticularis3
3

Normal canal

L4

Defect in pars3
interarticularis3
(spondylolysis)

Intervertebral3
disk

Herniated nucleus3
pulposus

L5

Sacrum

Anterior displacement3
of L5 on sacrum3
(spondylolisthesis)
Articular surface3
(sacroiliac)

Anulus3
fibrosus

Herniated disk
Hypertrophy3
of facets

Thickened3
ligamentum3
flavum

Spinal stenosis
Figure 1. Common Pathoanatomical Conditions of the Lumbar Spine.
A superior view of a lumbar vertebra with normal anatomy and canal configuration is shown in the upper right. In the superior
view of a lumbar vertebra and intervertebral disk (center right), herniation of the nucleus pulposus into the spinal canal is evident.
The nucleus pulposus has a soft consistency, at least from childhood to middle age, and may protrude through confluent fissures
in the anulus fibrosus. This usually occurs in the lateral part of the spinal canal, as shown. The usual abnormalities that result in
spinal stenosis (lower right) include hypertrophic degenerative changes of the facets and thickening of the ligamentum flavum.
These processes may result in a severely narrowed canal, either centrally or in the lateral recesses of the canal. A lateral view of
the lumbosacral spine, illustrating spondylolysis of the L5 vertebra with associated spondylolisthesis at L5S1, is shown on the
left. Spondylolysis refers to a defect in the pars interarticularis of the vertebra, which may be congenital or a result of stress fracture.
Spondylolisthesis refers to the anterior displacement of a vertebra on the one beneath it. This may occur as a result of spondylolysis
as shown (called isthmic spondylolisthesis) or as a result of degenerative disk disease, usually in the elderly. This process may
contribute to narrowing of the spinal canal in spinal stenosis.

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PRIMARY CARE

TABLE 1. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

OF

LOW BACK PAIN.*

MECHANICAL LOW BACK

OR LEG PAIN (97%)

NONMECHANICAL SPINAL CONDITIONS

(ABOUT 1%)

Lumbar strain, sprain (70%)

Degenerative processes of disks and
facets, usually age-related (10%)
Herniated disk (4%)
Spinal stenosis (3%)
Osteoporotic compression fracture (4%)
Spondylolisthesis (2%)
Traumatic fracture (<1%)
Congenital disease (<1%)
Severe kyphosis
Severe scoliosis
Transitional vertebrae
Spondylolysis
Internal disk disruption or diskogenic
low back pain
Presumed instability**

Neoplasia (0.7%)
Multiple myeloma
Metastatic carcinoma
Lymphoma and leukemia
Spinal cord tumors
Retroperitoneal tumors
Primary vertebral tumors
Infection (0.01%)
Osteomyelitis
Septic diskitis
Paraspinous abscess
Epidural abscess
Shingles
Inflammatory arthritis (often associated
with HLA-B27) (0.3%)
Ankylosing spondylitis
Psoriatic spondylitis
Reiters syndrome
Inflammatory bowel disease
Scheuermanns disease (osteochondrosis)
Pagets disease of bone

VISCERAL DISEASE (2%)

Disease of pelvic organs

Prostatitis
Endometriosis
Chronic pelvic inflammatory
disease
Renal disease
Nephrolithiasis
Pyelonephritis
Perinephric abscess
Aortic aneurysm
Gastrointestinal disease
Pancreatitis
Cholecystitis
Penetrating ulcer

*Figures in parentheses indicate the estimated percentages of patients with these conditions among all adult patients
with low back pain in primary care. Diagnoses in italics are often associated with neurogenic leg pain. Percentages may
vary substantially according to demographic characteristics or referral patterns in a practice. For example, spinal stenosis
and osteoporosis will be more common among geriatric patients, spinal infection among injection-drug users, and so
forth. Data are adapted from Hart et al.,2 Deyo,12 Deyo et al.,13 and Deyo and Diehl.14
The term mechanical is used here to designate an anatomical or functional abnormality without an underlying malignant, neoplastic, or inflammatory disease. Approximately 2 percent of cases of mechanical low back or leg pain are
accounted for by spondylolysis, internal disk disruption or diskogenic low back pain, and presumed instability.
Scheuermanns disease and Pagets disease of bone probably account for less than 0.01 percent of nonmechanical spinal conditions.
Strain and sprain are nonspecific terms with no pathoanatomical confirmation. Idiopathic low back pain may
be a preferable term.
Spondylolysis is as common among asymptomatic persons as among those with low back pain, so its role in causing
low back pain remains ambiguous.
Internal disk disruption is diagnosed by provocative diskography (injection of contrast material into a degenerated
disk, with assessment of pain at the time of injection). However, diskography often causes pain in asymptomatic adults,
and the condition of many patients with positive diskograms improves spontaneously. Thus, the clinical importance and
appropriate management of this condition remain unclear. Diskogenic low back pain is used more or less synonymously
with internal disk disruption.
**Presumed instability is loosely defined as greater than 10 degrees of angulation or 4 mm of vertebral displacement
on lateral flexion and extension radiograms. However, the diagnostic criteria, natural history, and surgical indications remain controversial.

ited spinal motion is not strongly associated with any

specific diagnosis, but this finding may help in planning or monitoring physical therapy.13 Chest expansion
of less than 2.5 cm has specificity, but not sensitivity,
for ankylosing spondylitis.17
Among patients with sciatica or pseudoclaudication,
a straight-legraising test should be performed, with
the patient supine and the examiners hand holding the
leg straight and cupping the heel with the other hand.
However, the test is often negative in patients with spinal stenosis. An elevation of less than 60 degrees is
abnormal, suggesting compression or irritation of the
nerve roots. A positive test reproduces the symptoms
of sciatica, with pain that radiates below the knee, not
merely back or hamstring pain. Ipsilateral straight-leg

raising has sensitivity but not specificity for a herniated disk, whereas crossed straight-leg raising (with the
symptoms of sciatica reproduced when the opposite
leg is raised) is insensitive but highly specific.13,22 The
remainder of the neurologic examination should focus on ankle and great-toe dorsiflexion strength (the
L5 nerve root), plantar flexion strength (S1), ankle and
knee reflexes (S1 and L4), and dermatomal sensory
loss. The L5 and S1 nerve roots are involved in approximately 95 percent of lumbar-disk herniations.12,13
Imaging

Plain radiography should be limited to patients with

clinical findings suggestive of systemic disease or trauma. Guidelines recommend plain radiography for pa-

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The Ne w E n g l a nd Jo u r n a l o f Me d ic i ne

tients with fever, unexplained weight loss, a history

of cancer, neurologic deficits, alcohol or injection-drug
abuse, an age of more than 50 years, or trauma.23
Strict adherence to these criteria might increase the
use of plain radiographs,24,25 and some observers therefore argue for further refinement of the criteria. Failure of the pain to improve after four to six weeks
should prompt radiography, because improvement occurs in most patients in the absence of infection, cancer, or inflammatory disease.23 Plain radiography is not
highly sensitive for early cancer or infection, and therefore ancillary tests, such as measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a complete blood count,
may help rule out systemic diseases.14
Computed tomography (CT) and MRI are more
sensitive than plain radiography for the detection of
early spinal infections and cancers. These imaging
techniques also reveal herniated disks and spinal stenosis, which plain radiography cannot. Early or frequent use of these tests is discouraged, however, because disk and other abnormalities are common
among asymptomatic adults (Table 2).26-29 Degenerated, bulging, and herniated disks are frequently incidental findings, even among patients with low back
pain, and may be misleading. Incidental findings may
lead to overdiagnosis, anxiety on the part of patients,
dependence on medical care, a conviction about the
presence of disease, and unnecessary tests or treatments. CT and MRI should be reserved for patients
for whom there is a strong clinical suggestion of underlying infection, cancer, or persistent neurologic
deficit. These tests have similar accuracy in detecting
herniated disks and spinal stenosis,30 but MRI is
more sensitive for infections, metastatic cancer, and
rare neural tumors. These tests have largely supplanted myelography, although CT myelography is sometimes performed for the planning of surgery.

Evaluation of Older Adults

Among patients over 65 years of age, the diagnostic probabilities shown in Table 1 change. Cancer, compression fractures, spinal stenosis, and aortic aneurysms
become more common. Osteoporotic fractures may
occur even in the absence of recognized trauma. Because hormone-replacement therapy and other medications may prevent further fractures, early radiography is recommended for older patients.
Spinal stenosis due to hypertrophic degenerative
processes and degenerative spondylolisthesis is more
common in older than in younger adults. Pseudoclaudication is the classic symptom of central-canal stenosis. The symptoms of stenosis are often diffuse, because
the disease usually is bilateral and involves several vertebrae.31 Pain, numbness, and tingling may occur in
one or both legs. The symptoms are usually relieved by
spinal flexion, so that patients report less pain when
they are sitting32 or pushing a grocery cart. Pain is
often increased by extension of the lumbar spine.32,33
The diagnosis can usually be made on the basis of CT
or MRI, although electromyography or measurement
of somatosensory evoked potentials may help define
the extent of neurologic involvement31,33 and differentiate this condition from peripheral neuropathy.
Aortic aneurysm should be suspected among older adults with coronary artery disease or multiple risk
factors. Some aneurysms are detected by physical examination, although ultrasonography, CT, or MRI is
often necessary.
NATURAL HISTORY

Recovery from nonspecific low back pain is generally rapid. In one study, 90 percent of patients
seen within three days of onset recovered within two
weeks.20 However, in cross-sectional studies, which
oversample patients with multiple visits, the progno-

TABLE 2. REPRESENTATIVE RESULTS OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING STUDIES

IN ASYMPTOMATIC ADULTS.*
STUDY

SUBJECTS

ANATOMICAL FINDINGS
HERNIATED BULGING
DISK

DISK

DEGENERATIVE
DISK

ANNULAR
STENOSIS

TEAR

prevalence (%)

Boden et al.

26

Volunteers <60 yr old

Volunteers 60 yr old
Volunteers (mean age, 42 yr)
Volunteers (mean age, 35 yr)

Jensen et al.
Weishaupt
et al.28
Stadnik et al.29 Patients referred for head or
neck imaging (median age,
42 yr)
27

22
36
28
40

54
79
52
24

46
93
NR
72

1
21
7
NR

NR
NR
14
33

33

81

72

NR

56

*NR denotes not reported.

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PRIMARY CARE

sis is less favorable. These studies may best reflect the

experience of primary care physicians. They suggest
that a third of patients are substantially improved at
one week and two thirds at seven weeks.21,34 Recurrences are common, affecting 40 percent of patients
within six months.35 Most recurrences are not disabling, but the emerging picture is that of a chronic
problem with intermittent exacerbations, analogous to
asthma, rather than an acute disease that can be cured.
The natural history of herniated disks is also favorable. Improvement is the norm, although it is often
slower than improvement in low back pain alone. Only
about 10 percent of patients have sufficient pain after
six weeks that surgery is considered. Sequential MRI
studies reveal that the herniated portion of the disk
tends to regress with time, with partial or complete
resolution in two thirds of cases after six months.36,37
In contrast, spinal stenosis usually remains stable or
gradually worsens. In this indolent condition, symptoms evolve gradually. About 15 percent of patients
improve over a period of four years, 70 percent remain stable, and 15 percent have deterioration.38
Return to work after an episode of low back pain
is influenced by clinical, social, and economic factors.
Low back pain is rarely permanently disabling. Patients
with herniated disks who undergo surgery do not return to work earlier than those who receive nonsurgical therapy, although they have better symptomatic
and functional outcomes.19
THERAPY
Nonspecific Low Back Pain

There are few large, randomized trials of therapy

for nonspecific low back pain. Recommendations
have been derived from small studies of variable methodologic quality.23,39 Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) are effective for symptom relief, as
are some muscle relaxants. Clinical trials do not clearly identify which patients benefit from muscle relaxants, and side effects, especially sedation, are common.
In general, medication for symptomatic relief should
be prescribed on a regular schedule rather than on an
as-needed basis.40 Spinal manipulation and physical
therapy are alternative treatments for symptomatic relief among patients with acute or subacute low back
pain, but their effects are limited.41,42 In general, we
recommend delaying referral for manipulation or physical therapy until an episode of pain has persisted for
three weeks, because half of the patients spontaneously improve within this period.21 For most patients,
the best recommendation is a rapid return to normal
activities, with neither bed rest nor exercise in the acute
phase.43-45 This recommendation must be tempered
by consideration of the patients usual job or life demands. Heavy lifting, trunk twisting, and bodily vibration should be avoided in the acute phase.
Several common treatments have not been found

effective in randomized trials. Bed rest does not increase the speed of recovery from acute low back pain
and sometimes delays recovery.43-45 If a patient obtains
symptomatic relief from bed rest, it can be recommended for a day or two, with reassurance that it is
safe to get out of bed even if pain persists. Back exercises are also not helpful in the acute phase, although
they are useful later for preventing recurrences and
for treating chronic low back pain.39,45-47 Conventional traction, facet-joint injections, and transcutaneous
electrical nerve stimulation appear ineffective or minimally effective in randomized trials.48-50
The most popular alternative therapies for low back
pain are spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and massage.51 Although clinical trials suggest that spinal manipulation has some efficacy, systematic reviews have
found little support for acupuncture.41,42,52 Massage
has rarely been studied, but promising preliminary
results of clinical trials suggest that research on massage therapy should be assigned a high priority.53,54
There is no evidence from clinical trials or cohort
studies that surgery is effective for patients who have
low back pain unless they have sciatica, pseudoclaudication, or spondylolisthesis.55
Herniated Intervertebral Disks

In the absence of the cauda equina syndrome or

progressive neurologic deficit, patients with suspected disk herniation should be treated nonsurgically for
at least a month. Early treatment resembles that for
nonspecific low back pain, although the safety and
efficacy of spinal manipulation remain unclear. Narcotic analgesics may be necessary for pain relief, but
they should be used only for limited periods. Bed rest
does not accelerate recovery.56 Epidural corticosteroid
injections offer temporary symptomatic relief for some
patients.57 If severe pain or neurologic deficits persist,
CT or MRI and consideration of surgery are appropriate (Table 3).
Diskectomy produced better pain relief than nonsurgical treatment over a period of 4 years, but it
is unclear whether there is any advantage after 10
years.55,58,59 The effectiveness of microdiskectomy,
which is performed through a small incision with the
aid of magnifying lenses, is similar to that of standard diskectomy, but two newer techniques, automated
percutaneous diskectomy and laser diskectomy, are less
effective than standard diskectomy.55 For selected patients, arthroscopic diskectomy is promising, and its
effectiveness may be similar to that of standard diskectomy.60
Spinal Stenosis

Evidence regarding nonsurgical therapy for spinal

stenosis is sparse. Avoidance of alcohol and sedatives
and strengthening of the legs may reduce the risk of
falls. Use of an exercise bicycle or walking is recommended, with brief rest when pain occurs.33 Analge-

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TABLE 3. INDICATIONS FOR SURGICAL REFERRAL AMONG PATIENTS

WITH LOW BACK PAIN.
SCIATICA

AND

PROBABLE HERNIATED DISKS

The cauda equina syndrome (surgical emergency): characterized by bowel

or bladder dysfunction (usually urinary retention), numbness in the
perineum and medial thighs (i.e., in a saddle distribution), bilateral leg
pain, weakness, and numbness
Progressive or severe neurologic deficit
Persistent neuromotor deficit after 46 weeks of nonoperative therapy
Persistent sciatica (not low back pain alone) for 46 weeks, with consistent
clinical and neurologic findings (in this circumstance, and for persistent
neuromotor deficit, surgery is elective, and patients should be involved
in decision making)
SPINAL STENOSIS

Progressive or severe neurologic deficit, as for herniated disks

Back and leg pain that is persistent and disabling, improves with spine flexion, and is associated with spinal stenosis on imaging tests; surgery is
elective, and patients should be involved in decision making
SPONDYLOLISTHESIS

Progressive or severe neurologic deficit, as for herniated disks

Spinal stenosis with referral indications as above
Severe back pain or sciatica with severe functional impairment that persists
for a year or longer

sics, NSAIDs, physical therapy, and epidural corticosteroids may be useful, although there are no data from
clinical trials. For persistent severe pain, decompressive
laminectomy is an option. If degenerative spondylolisthesis contributes to the stenosis, adding spinal
fusion to decompression may improve the outcomes
over those with decompression alone.55,61 Cohort studies suggest that surgery results in better pain relief and
functional recovery than nonsurgical treatment, at least
for a few years.62,63 Even with successful surgery, symptoms often recur after several years. At four years of
postoperative follow-up, about 30 percent of patients
have severe pain and about 10 percent have undergone
reoperation.63,64
Chronic Low Back Pain

Many patients with chronic low back pain have no

radiculopathy or anatomical abnormalities that clearly
explain their symptoms. Recent evidence of neuroplasticity suggests that central nervous system changes
including neuronal hyperactivity, changes in membrane excitability, and expression of new genes may
perpetuate the perception of pain in the absence of
ongoing tissue injury.65
Intensive exercise reduces pain and improves function in patients with chronic low back pain.39,66,67
However, maintaining adherence to the sort of exercise
regimen that is required for long-term benefits is often difficult. Antidepressant-drug therapy is useful for
the one third of patients with low back pain who also
have depression. There is conflicting evidence regarding patients without clinical depression.68,69 Tricyclic

antidepressants may be more effective for treating pain

in patients without depression than selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors.70 Long-term opioid therapy
for patients with persistent pain has been proposed,
and a small, randomized trial showed that opioids
have a greater effect on pain and mood than NSAIDs.
However, opioids did not improve activity levels, and
in a third of subjects they caused side effects such as
drowsiness, headache, constipation, and nausea.71 Until further evidence of their safety and efficacy is available from clinical trials, we do not advocate the longterm use of opioids.
Referral to a multidisciplinary pain center may be
appropriate for some patients with chronic low back
pain. Such centers typically combine cognitivebehavioral therapy, patient education, supervised exercise,
selective nerve blocks, and other strategies to restore
functioning. Complete relief of symptoms may be unrealistic, and therapeutic goals may need to be refocused on optimizing daily function. Multiple surgical
procedures are rarely helpful.
PREVENTION

Exercise programs that combine aerobic conditioning with specific strengthening of the back and legs
can reduce the frequency of recurrence of low back
pain.46 The use of corsets and education about lifting technique are generally ineffective in preventing
low back problems.46,72,73 Epidemiologic studies suggest that weight loss and smoking cessation may have
preventive value, but no intervention trials involving
these approaches have been conducted. There are,
of course, other compelling reasons to recommend
weight loss and smoking cessation. Ergonomic redesign of strenuous job tasks may facilitate return to work
and reduce the chronic nature of pain.74
CONCLUSIONS

For patients with nonspecific low back pain, a precise pathoanatomical diagnosis is often impossible,
which leads to various imprecise diagnoses (e.g., sprain
or strain). The natural history of low back pain is favorable, and patients need this reassurance. The favorable natural history may partly explain the proliferation of unproved treatments that may seem to be
effective. The use of plain radiography can be limited
to patients with clinical findings suggestive of underlying systemic disease, and more advanced imaging
can be reserved for potential candidates for surgery.
The role of imaging in other situations is limited because of the poor association between symptoms and
anatomical findings. Bed rest is not recommended for
the treatment of low back pain or sciatica, and a rapid
return to normal activities is usually the best course.
Back exercises are not useful for the acute phase but
help to prevent recurrences and treat chronic pain. Surgery is appropriate for a small proportion of patients
with low back symptoms; it is most successful for those

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PRIMARY CARE

with sciatica or pseudoclaudication that persists after

nonsurgical therapy has been tried.
Supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health
(AR45444-01) and from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(HS09804).

We are indebted to Pam Hillman for assistance with the preparation of the manuscript and to Douglas Paauw, M.D., Daniel Cherkin, Ph.D., Robert Keller, M.D., Jon Lurie, M.D., and John Loeser,
M.D., for their helpful reviews of earlier drafts.

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