Mechanical Low Back Pain

Joshua Scott Will, David C. Bury, John A. Miller

Repetitive trauma and overuse are common causes of chronic mechanical low back pain. The history and physical examination can point toward a specific etiology. Imaging is not recommended for most patients with nonspecific mechanical low back pain in the absence of red flags....

Abdominal Wall Pain: Clinical Evaluation, Differential Diagnosis, and Treatment

Brian Shian, Scott T. Larson

Common causes of abdominal wall pain include nerve entrapment, hernia, and surgical or procedural complications. Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome, which presents as acute or chronic localized pain at the lateral edge of the rectus abdominis, is the most common and...

Anemia in Older Adults

J. Brian Lanier, James J. Park, Robert C. Callahan

Anemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in older adults. Diagnostic cutoff values for defining anemia vary with age, sex, and possibly race. Patients may present with symptoms related to associated conditions, such as blood loss, or to decreased oxygen...

AAFP News: AFP Edition

AAFP Adds Five New Choosing Wisely Recommendations | Study Shows Value of Varied Communication Styles Between Physicians, Nurses | Analysis Shows Record High Number of New Diagnoses for Three STIs | Meta-Analysis Shows Obesity at Young Age Increases Cancer Risk Later

Family Physicians Can Manage Adults with Hepatitis C

Richard R. Andrews

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages family physicians to treat patients with hepatitis C. Outcomes when primary care physicians prescribe direct-acting antivirals to patients with uncomplicated hepatitis C are comparable to those of subspecialists.

Interventions for Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Children Five Years and Younger

Matthew Rensberry

Child feeding interventions are effective in the short term (i.e., less than 12 months) for increasing a child's intake of fruits and vegetables, but only by less than 5% of the recommended daily allowance. Conversely, parental nutrition education and multicomponent...

Fleshy Mass Passed Vaginally by a Young Woman

Louis Strauss

A women presented with worsening cramps and lower abdominal pain six weeks after starting medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera). The discomfort subsided after she vaginally passed a bloody fleshy mass.

Aging Well: Poetry Can Help

Janel Kam-Magruder

Poems written by a 102-year-old living independently.

Therapist-Guided, Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety

Mary I. Dobbins, Solmaz Bauk, Janet Albers

Therapist-guided, Internet-delivered CBT can be used as an effective treatment for anxiety in adults and is similar in effectiveness to face-to-face CBT.

Depression in Adolescents: AAP Updates Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment

Lisa Croke

These updated recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics aim to address the identification and diagnosis of all forms of depression in adolescents, defined in this guideline as those 10 to 21 years of age.

Hormone Therapy for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Postmenopausal Women

Theodore J. Segarra, Michael Ritchie, Shahriar Zehtabchi

No benefit was observed in postmenopausal women receiving hormone therapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Find out more.

Consider Muscle Strengthening for Plantar Fasciitis

Low Back Pain

Low back pain is when you feel soreness or discomfort in your lower back, buttocks, or hips. It is a common problem.