The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University, has opened a 30-day public comment period for its draft acute low back pain clinical practice guideline, an evidence-based document developed with support from the FDA.
Through Dec. 10, 2025, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, and practitioners in primary care, emergency medicine, and pain medicine—as well as
NOVEMBER 13, 2025
AAPM Opens Comment Period for New Low Back Pain Clinical Guideline
The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University, has opened a 30-day public comment period for its draft acute low back pain clinical practice guideline, an evidence-based document developed with support from the FDA.
Through Dec. 10, 2025, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, and practitioners in primary care, emergency medicine, and pain medicine—as well as chiropractors and physical therapists—are invited to review the draft recommendations and submit feedback through a brief SurveyMonkey questionnaire. The survey link and guideline summaries are available at https://painmed.org/clinical-guidelines/acute-low-back-pain-guideline-open-comments/
The draft guideline offers tiered recommendations on assessment, imaging, and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management for patients whose low back pain has lasted less than six weeks. Clinicians who complete the five-minute survey will be eligible for a complimentary seat in a one-hour, credit-eligible continuing medical education (CME) webinar that will launch after the guideline has published.
All survey responses are anonymous and will be reported only in aggregate. After the comment window closes, the guideline panel will incorporate feedback before submitting the final manuscript to the journal Pain Medicine in January 2026. The AAPM will release implementation tools, including the free CME webinar and patient education materials, following publication, and will conduct a survey with clinicians six months later to measure adoption and identify any remaining barriers.
Based on a press release from the AAPM.