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Low back pain is so common that it will affect almost everyone at some time (Dionne, 1999) and could be considered, at least when it is non-disabling, part of normal experience. About 1/3 of adults will experience back pain during the course of a year, and most of these episodes, appropriately, are never brought to the consulting room (Papageorgiou et al., 1996). These episodes might be considered to be minor in terms of pain experience, and their impact on function with the symptoms resolving quickly. However, about 1 in 5 persons experiencing an episode of back pain will decide to consult their primary care physician–and it is these on which attention must focus (Papageorgiou and Rigby, 1991). Many countries, including the United Kingdom, have produced guidelines for the management of acute back pain (Royal College of General Practitioners, 1999). Although the precise details of the national guidelines …