The International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) led the development of a framework to help clinicians assess and manage people who may have serious spinal pathology. While rare, serious spinal pathology can have devastating and life-changing or life-limiting consequences, and must be identified early and managed appropriately. Red flags (signs and symptoms that might raise suspicion of serious spinal pathology) have historically been used by clinicians to identify serious spinal pathology. Currently, there is an absence of high-quality evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of most red flags. This framework is intended to provide a clinical-reasoning pathway to clarify the role of red flags.
1Sussex MSK Partnership, Brighton, United Kingdom. 2Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia. 3Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 4Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Chichester, United Kingdom. 5Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, Bolton, United Kingdom. 6Department of Health Professions, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom. 7American Physical Therapy Association, Alexandria, VA. 8Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 9Department of Physical Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 10Brooks Rehabilitation, Jacksonville, FL. 11Physical Therapy Department, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Pori, Finland. The following organizations provided financial support for the development and dissemination of this framework: the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapy, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, International Maitland Teachers Association, Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists, Private Physiotherapy Educational Foundation, and Swiss Association for Orthopaedic Manipulative Physiotherapy. The authors certify that they have no affiliations with or financial involvement in any organization or entity with a direct financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the article. Address correspondence to Laura Finucane, Sussex MSK Partnership, 177 Preston Road, BN1 6AG Brighton, UK. E-mail: [email protected] U Copyright ©2020 Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®
- Cauda equina syndrome
- Clinical reasoning
- Malignancy
- Spinal fracture
- Spinal infection
