Few Nonsurgical Treatments Show Effectiveness for Low Back Pain
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2025 -- For acute low back pain, there is moderate-certainty evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are an effective treatment, while there is moderate-certainty evidence that exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants, and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonists are efficacious for chronic low back pain, according to a review published online March 18 in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
Aidan G. Cashin, Ph.D., from the Centre for Pain IMPACT at Neuroscience Research Australia in Randwick, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the efficacy of nonsurgical and noninterventional treatments versus placebo for adults with low back pain.
Based on data from 301 trials (377 comparisons for 56 different treatments or treatment combinations), the researchers found that one treatment for acute low back pain (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and five treatments for chronic low back pain (exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants, and TRPV1 agonists) were efficacious, although effect sizes were small and of moderate certainty. No effectiveness was seen for three treatments for acute low back pain (exercise, glucocorticoid injections, and acetaminophen) and two treatments for chronic low back pain (antibiotics and anesthetics); based on moderate-certainty evidence, these modalities were unlikely to be suitable treatment options. Small samples, imprecision, or low and very-low certainty evidence made evidence inconclusive for remaining treatments.
“Around 10 percent of nonsurgical and noninterventional treatments provided small analgesic effects beyond placebo," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
Lower Oral Health Scores Linked to Higher Pain Scores in Women
MONDAY, April 14, 2025 -- Low oral health scores are associated with higher pain scores, including migraine headache, among women, according to a study published online April 9 in...
ACP: Guidance Provided for Use of Cannabis in Chronic Noncancer Pain Management
MONDAY, April 7, 2025 -- In a best practice guideline issued by the American College of Physicians and published online April 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, advice is...
Opioid Rx in the ED Slightly Raises Risk for Future Opioid Use, Hospitalization
MONDAY, Feb. 10, 2025 -- Emergency department opioid prescriptions are associated with small increases in hospital admission and subsequent opioid prescription use, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.