Low back pain with leg weakness
Intern, Emergency DepartmentEmergency Department~18 minNeurosurgery
42-year-old man with 2 days of worsening low back pain, leg weakness, and new difficulty urinating.
Your role
You are an intern in the Emergency Department. This patient has been signed out to you — take a focused history, examine the patient, order the labs and imaging you need, then decide on management and who to escalate to (your ED attending and the appropriate consultants).
Learning objectives
- Gather a focused history and neurologic exam
- Recognize time-critical red flags
- Request appropriate labs and imaging
- Commit to a differential and a plan
- Escalate to your attending / neurosurgery and present concisely
Educational simulation only. This is a fictional patient. Not medical advice.