Simple solutions for lower back pain work better

February 3, 2023 – Good news for those of us who suffer from lower back pain: Muscle relaxants and common pain relievers relieve lower back pain after a week of treatment, according to a new study in more than 3,000 people.

Acute low back pain is a common cause of disability worldwide and often interferes with daily life. wrote the study authors. However, concerns about opioids have prompted more research into other pain management options.

In an analysis published in the Orthopedic Research Journala team of German researchers looked at which non-opioid drugs are best for treating it.

The researchers found 18 studies involving 3,478 patients with acute low back pain that lasted less than 12 weeks. The mean age of patients in all studies was 42.5 years and 54% were female. The average duration of symptoms before treatment was 15.1 days.

Overall, common muscle relaxants and painkillers, known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – or NSAIDs – helped reduce pain and disability after about 1 week of use.

Ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen are all NSAIDs.

Additionally, studies of a combination of these drugs and acetaminophen showed greater improvement than NSAIDs alone, but acetaminophen alone had no significant impact on low back pain.

Most patients with acute lower back pain recover on their own, so it’s hard to say how effective the drugs are, the researchers wrote.

However, it’s important that other therapies that don’t include drugs are tried first, the researchers said.

More research is needed to see if the drugs help prevent the return, they said.

Study backs alternatives to opioids

The study highlights effective alternatives to opioids for managing back pain, said Suman Pal, a hospital medicine specialist at the University of New Mexico.

Pal says he wasn’t surprised by the results. “The study results mirror previous studies,” he says. “However, the lack of benefit from paracetamol (acetaminophen) alone should be emphasized as important for clinical practice.”

The main message of the study, says Pal, is that “patients with low back pain should discuss the best treatment approach with their doctor.

During these conversations, patients should discuss their symptoms, previous medical conditions and medications they are currently taking, Pal says. “These factors should guide the choice of pharmacological therapy, if necessary.”

However, more research is needed to better identify which patients would benefit most from NSAIDs and muscle relaxants to manage their pain, because chronic NSAID use carries its own potential for side effects, Pal says.