Acute pancreatitis presenting as back pain: a case report

Abstract A man with acute back pain presented to a chiropractic clinic with clinical symptoms and signs suggesting abdominal disease rather than mechanical spine pain. He was referred to a local hospital emergency where a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis secondary to chronic cholecystitis was made. The diagnostic images are compared to normal studies. The characteristic clinical examination findings found with back pain due to acute pancreatitis are compared to those typically seen with mechanical spine pain.