NO common painkillers are effective for back pain – they actually cause nasty side effects, experts warn
Popular drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen are mostly useless for treating the condition - and actually cause side effects, a new study found
NO COMMON painkillers are effective for back pain, a major study claims.
It found popular drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen were mostly useless for treating the condition – and actually cause side effects.
Only one in six patients treated with the pills – known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – achieved any significant reduction in pain.
It comes after previous research revealed paracetamol is ineffective and opioids provide minimal benefit over dummy pills.
Researchers say the study highlights an urgent need to develop new therapies to treat back pain, which affects 80 per cent of people during their lifetime.
That equates to around 52million Brits.
Experts, from The George Institute, at the University of Sydney, in Australia, examined 35 trials involving more than 6,000 people.
They found patients taking anti-inflammatories were 2.5 times more likely to suffer from gastro-intestinal problems, such as stomach ulcers and bleeding.
Related Stories
Study leader Manuela Ferreira said: “Back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is commonly managed by prescribing medicines such as anti-inflammatories.
“But our results show anti-inflammatory drugs actually only provide very limited short term pain relief.
“They do reduce the level of pain, but only very slightly, and arguably not of any clinical significance.
“When you factor in the side effects which are very common, it becomes clear that these drugs are not the answer to providing pain relief to those who suffer from this debilitating condition.”
Most clinical guidelines currently recommend NSAIDs as the second line painkillers after paracetamol, with opioids coming at third choice.
Back pain usually gets better within a few weeks or months and the NHS says most people will not need to see a doctor or other health worker.
Their official guidelines suggest trying to stay as active as possible, performing stretches, taking anti-inflammatory painkillers, and using hot and cold presses.
Gustavo Machado, who also worked on the study, said: “Millions are taking drugs that not only don't work very well, they’re causing harm.
When you factor in the side effects which are very common, it becomes clear that these drugs are not the answer to providing pain relief to those who suffer from this debilitating condition
Manuela Ferreira
“We need treatments that will actually provide substantial relief of these people’s symptoms.
“Better still we need a stronger focus on preventing back pain in the first place.
“We know that education and exercise programs can substantially reduce the risk of developing low back pain."
John Smith from the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents drug manufacturers, said: "Anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, are an effective and appropriately safe way to provide short-term relief from back pain, if used in accordance with the clear on-pack instructions and the patient information leaflet inside.
"NHS Choices recommends the use of anti-inflammatory painkillers as one of the ways to manage back pain and to help people keep active to speed up the recovery time.
"However, if the pain doesn't improve within a few weeks, we would advise people to consult a pharmacist or healthcare professional for advice."
The study is published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368