How is a sick note for back pain assessed?

What should you tell the doctor about back pain?

The Federal health portal (gesund.bund.de) often describes back pain alongside muscle tension and restricted movement during everyday activities. Symptoms may start suddenly and sometimes spread into one leg or into both legs. This general account does not establish the cause of the pain you personally are experiencing. Start your description with the location of your pain and approximately when it first began.

Then explain whether pain occurs at rest or is associated with particular movements in daily life. Mention changes since onset and report any spreading pain or other features you have noticed. If an injury or accident preceded it, put that information at the beginning of your account. Have details of earlier examinations available without assuming their findings automatically explain the current cause.

Do not force movements during preparation solely to demonstrate the symptoms you intend to describe. Explain the limitations you have already noticed in the course of your normal daily activities instead. Ask during the consultation if an instruction is unclear or seems difficult for you to follow. As the German Medical Association explains, careful assessment must take the particular features of remote care into account.

Why do the actual tasks of your job matter?

§ 2 paragraph 1 Arbeitsunfähigkeits-Richtlinie defines incapacity in statutory insurance care with reference to the work most recently performed. Illness-related limitations or possible worsening through continuing that work are the relevant considerations for assessment. Describe specific demands such as prolonged sitting, frequent bending or carrying objects during your working day. Explain which tasks are scheduled today and what difficulties you have already noticed when doing them.

A job title alone often describes the physical demands of different workplaces only very incompletely. People in the same profession may need quite different movements and postures depending on their duties. Use examples from your own working day and explain the sequence of your usual activities. Also mention transitions between different tasks if these are relevant to your situation and its limitations.

The guideline dated 14 November 2013, amended 7 December 2023, has applied since 21 February 2024. Our service has its own scope and limits certificates to no more than three calendar days. The treating doctor decides the actual duration on the basis of your individual consultation and assessment. A fixed number of days claimed to suit everyone would therefore be inappropriate for your personal situation.

What should you clarify about care after the video call?

Before finishing, ask whether further examinations at a local practice seem necessary for continued assessment. Also discuss what to do if symptoms remain unchanged or new symptoms appear after the consultation. Note the recommended contact and keep existing documents ready for any later appointment you may need. If anything remains unclear, ask for an explanation in words you can confidently understand yourself.

The Federal health portal (gesund.bund.de) explains that many episodes of back pain settle within several days or weeks. This does not provide a certain prognosis for you or a fixed period of incapacity for work. Observe your own symptoms and seek further medical advice if you notice changes in their course. Our service offers no extension even when symptoms continue beyond the initial three calendar days.

Keep medical questions separate from administrative tasks about the certificate when organising your personal records. Record the symptom course separately from the date you informed your employer about your absence. This makes relevant information about the illness easier to find at your next medical consultation. Also check the certified dates when planning further examination and any continuing absence from work.

When should you seek help without waiting for video care?

medical on-call service on 116117 recommends calling 112 after accidents with suspected serious injuries or for persistent, extremely severe pain. In these situations, do not wait for a digital certificate or a video appointment available later. For urgent, non-life-threatening acute back pain outside normal opening hours, the medical on-call service on 116117 can help.

What do you need to tell your employer?

Notify your employer without delay that you cannot work and how long you expect the absence to last. This legal duty to notify follows from § 5 paragraph 1 continued remuneration law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG), the German continued remuneration law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG). Where possible, send your notification before waiting for the video consultation to finish. If unsure, ask which reporting channel to use and who handles sickness notifications at work.

Keep your sickness notification separate from the medical evidence covering the period certified by the doctor. With this service, you receive a PDF for your employer after the doctor establishes incapacity for work. You submit it yourself; there is no electronic transmission to your health insurance fund here. Our terms of service explain this service limit alongside the procedure for the private medical consultation.

Before sending the certificate, check the recipient, your name and the period stated on it. Store your own copy and confirmation of submission somewhere protected for your personal records. If questions arise, you can then find and identify the documents you actually submitted more easily.

What are the limits and fees of this service?

Our service is for adults aged 18 and over whose symptoms can be assessed adequately by video. Generally accepted professional standards must allow your treatment without an in-person medical consultation. The certificate usually starts on the day of your video consultation. After careful medical assessment, the doctor may exceptionally backdate its start by up to three days. The doctor must also be able to establish your incapacity for work during that earlier period. There is no entitlement to backdating. The certificate still covers no more than three calendar days, including any backdated days. This service does not extend an existing certificate by video. Contact us on your first day of illness whenever possible. Further details are set out in our terms of service.

According to our service, a base consultation fee of €10.72 is reserved before the appointment. If a medically necessary visual examination is actually performed, the fee totals €21.44 plus applicable surcharges. The fee remains payable even if the medical assessment does not result in a certificate. Before booking, read the full pricing information carefully, including details of any possible surcharges.

People with statutory health insurance pay themselves; reimbursement by private insurance depends on their policy terms. Our terms of service do not guarantee reimbursement or acceptance of the certificate by your employer. Have your identity document and a device with a camera and microphone ready for the consultation. Check your internet connection and choose somewhere you can speak without being disturbed by others.

Where can you find further answers?

These related guides provide further information about the next steps in reporting your sickness absence:

• Is a sick note issued by video valid in Germany?
• How do you get an online sick note in Germany?
• How should you notify your employer about sick leave?
• What does a private video consultation for a sick note cost?

Editorial team Krankschreibung per Video, Drylabs GmbH

Updated: 26 October 2026