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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Blood tests are generally not used for diagnosing the cause of back pain, but in some cases they are \u2013 particularly if your doctor suspects an infection or inflammatory arthritis.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Related: \u00A0&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-sacroiliitis-296629&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;What is Sacroiliitis?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When trying to find the reason for your back pain, your doctor will likely take a medical history, do a physical exam and possibly order some diagnostic tests. \u00A0While some feel an over reliance on diagnostic tests exists in our society; \u00A0such tests generally do not in and of themselves definitely diagnose spine pain. \u00A0For example, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (which is part of the National Institutes for Health or NIH) says that MRIs can reveal abnormalities in the spine but you may not feel pain or experience other symptoms at all. \u00A0The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. also says that healthy, pain free people can have elevated sed levels (see below for an explanation of sed levels.)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Below is a list of the most common blood tests used for back pain.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Complete blood count (CBC) may point to infections or inflammation.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;SED Rate, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a measure of inflammation that may suggest infection. If your SED Rate indicates that inflammation is present, the possibilities for an underlying cause may be some forms of arthritis or more rarely, a tumor.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;CRP, or C-reactive protein is another blood test that is used to measure inflammation that may indicate an infection or some forms of arthritis.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;HLA-B27 is a genetic marker in the blood that is more common in people with ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthrits. \u00A0A test for this marker may be done if your doctor suspects either disease. \u00A0Ankylosing spondylitis is one type of inflammatory arthritis that usually first affects the sacroiliac joints and hips, and later the spine. \u00A0Reactive arthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs after an infection in a different body system or area.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Related:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/symptoms-of-back-pain-296704&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;\u00A0Communicate Your Back Pain Symptoms to Your Doctor&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Source:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;National Institute of Arthritis and Muscloskeletal and Skin Diseases. \u00A0Handout on Health: \u00A0Back Pain. \u00A0NIH Website. \u00A0Last Updated Sept 2013 Accessed May 2015 &amp;amp;lt;a href&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#34;http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/back_pain/#8&amp;amp;#34;&amp;amp;gt;http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/back_pain/#8&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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