1. A 56-year-old male steel worker comes to you complaining of low back pain that was brought on when he slipped on ice and twisted his trunk while trying to avoid falling. The injury occurred 2 days earlier, and he has right-sided sciatica. X-rays show some lipping at L4–L5 and L5–S1 with slight narrowing of the L5 disc. He has difficulty bending forward. Describe your assessment plan for this patient (lumbar spondylosis versus acute lumbar disc herniation).
2. A 28-year-old man had a laminectomy for a herniated L5 disc 2 days earlier. He is still an inpatient. Describe your assessment plan for this patient.
