PROJECT CASE STUDY Lower back pain presentations in ED

Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN)

With
Professor Anne Burke, Lead
South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health &
Co-Director, Psychology and Allied Health Lead,
Central Adelaide Local Health Network

Joseph Orlando, Physiotherapist
Central Adelaide Local Health Network &
PhD Candidate, University of South Australia

PROJECT CASE STUDY SEGMENT
Filmed in Adelaide  | November 2025

Around 70 percent of people will experience lower back pain at some stage of their lives.  

A recent study conducted over five years found one in three people suffering from lower back pain presented to hospital via an ambulance.  

In many cases people will attend an emergency department when they feel they can’t manage their pain or when treatments by community healthcare services have been ineffective or inaccessible due to location or cost. However, 90 per cent of people can get better on their own in a few weeks.

Professor Anne Burke, Lead, South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network, says the data found in an emergency department setting, people with lower back pain receive biomedical care that is delivered at a high cost, with a high impact to the system, but ‘likely provides limited benefit to the patient’. 

“While emergency departments will always be there to assist with severe pain or life-threatening situations, early community-based intervention is often far more effective for lower back pain,’’ she says. 

The South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network within the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health has redesigned the pathways for lower back pain-related care. 

The SA Health Urgent Care Hubs at Woodville and Sefton Park have partnered to provide more options for the timely care of lower back pain outside of the emergency department. This includes physiotherapist digital support, via a recently launched website, at home during the recovery period. 

A review is also being done in conjunction with the South Australian Ambulance Service to investigate how lower back pain is managed by its responders. 

Central Adelaide Local Health Network Physiotherapist, Joseph Orlando, says the project was designed to develop trusted evidence and support to the community in understanding and managing pain. 

“Very few cases of lower back pain are related to serious pathology,’’ says Mr Orlando. 

“The Optimal System of Care for Low Back Pain, which was developed by the South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network in consultation with industry and consumer partners, is designed to bridge the gap between the emergency department and community-based care.” 

The study into back pain cases in South Australia was led by senior allied health staff within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health and the University of South Australia, with funding support from the Allied and Scientific Health Office.

Source: Central Adelaide Local Health Network website