Study finds low back pain treatments largely ineffective

A recent study found that most nonsurgical treatments for low back pain are not effective. Researchers reviewed 56 different treatments and found only 10% provided more relief than a placebo. The study included data from 301 trials focusing on adults with low back pain. It evaluated treatments for both acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain. The researchers aimed to understand how well these treatments reduce pain after use. For acute low back pain, only nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs showed significant effectiveness compared to placebo, with moderate-certainty evidence. In cases of chronic low back pain, five treatments were found to be effective: exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants, and certain agonists. However, many treatments were found to be ineffective. For acute pain, options like exercise and injections did not show benefits. For chronic pain, antibiotics and anesthetics also proved ineffective. A total of 20 treatments for acute pain and 38 for chronic pain had unclear evidence about their effectiveness. The researchers emphasized the need for more high-quality studies. They pointed out that many nonsurgical treatments did not work well and suggested that improvements in the design of placebo tests should be considered. The study faced limitations, including differences in how placebos were defined and the exclusion of unpublished trials. The lead researcher, Aidan G. Cashin, shared this study's findings, which were published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine on March 18. They highlighted a need for more reliable data on treatment efficacy in the future.