Children's health issues are just the same as adult health issues -- only smaller. In adults, back pain is a common musculoskeletal problem. In children, back pain should be taken seriously. When children under age 10 have back pain that lasts longer than 3 days, they should have an advanced imaging study of the spine. Results presented at the 1999 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America suggested that about 1/3 of these children have significant problems needing specific treatment -- even though the regular x-rays were normal!