Some people believe that their back pain doesn't respond to any medication, and their suspicions may be justified, as a new study has found that most non-surgical treatments for lower back pain are ineffective.
Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia, along with other universities in Brazil and Canada, analyzed the results of several studies to determine which treatments would actually relieve patients' pain. The results of their analysis were published in the journal "BMJ Evidence Based Medicine" on March 18, as reported by the website EurekAlert.
Many treatments and limited effectiveness
The treatments analyzed in the study included drug treatments, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and muscle relaxants. Non-drug treatments included physical exercises, massage, and chiropractic manipulation. The results showed that the effect of these treatments on pain reduction was modest compared to the effect of a placebo.
Lower back pain can affect anyone, regardless of age or gender. Lower back pain is characterized by a feeling of pain extending from the bottom of the ribs to the buttocks. This pain can be acute, occurring for a short period of time (less than 12 weeks), or chronic, lasting more than 12 weeks.
Lower back pain is one of the most common health problems, affecting a large proportion of the world's population. About 90% of this pain is classified as having an unknown cause.
Non-surgical treatments are recommended as a first-line treatment, but with the increasing number of treatment options available, it is becoming difficult to determine which treatment is most effective. Therefore, the researchers reviewed research databases on non-surgical treatments for people with lower back pain of unknown origin, with the aim of combining their results.
The study included analysis of data from 301 studies, exploring 56 different treatments.
Paracetamol ineffective and exercise may be effective in some cases
According to the study, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the only truly effective treatments for acute lower back pain. In contrast, there are five effective treatments for chronic lower back pain: physical exercises, chiropractic manipulation, medical patches, antidepressants, and TRPV1 pain receptor activators.
The data analysis highlighted treatments that were not effective in treating acute lower back pain, namely exercise, glucocorticoid injections, and paracetamol. The analysis also showed that antibiotics and topical analgesics (such as lidocaine) were not effective in treating chronic lower back pain, making them inappropriate options.
No sufficient evidence was found to prove the effectiveness of 10 drug treatments and 10 non-drug treatments for acute lower back pain. In addition, 22 non-drug treatments (such as acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and 16 drug treatments (such as combining antidepressants with paracetamol, complementary medicines, bisphosphonates, and muscle relaxants) were not proven effective for treating chronic lower back pain.
The researchers emphasized that the effectiveness of most treatments remains uncertain, as many available studies had limited numbers of participants and showed inconsistent results.
