NSAID therapy 'may offer little actual benefit for back pain'

A study from the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, Australia has indicated that commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatorydrugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin have little effect on remedying people's pain, while potentially putting them at risk of debilitating side effects. Doing more harm than good? Published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the new study examined data from 35 existing trials, involving more than 6,000 people in total. It aimed to build on previous research showing that paracetamol is ineffective and opioids provide minimal benefit forback pain. Most clinical guidelines currently recommend NSAIDs as the second choice forpain killers after paracetamol, with opioids coming in third. However, the new study data indicated that a mere one in six back pain patients treated with NSAIDs achieve any significant reduction in pain. Moreover, patients taking anti-inflammatory medicines were also shown to be 2.5 times more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal problems such as stomach ulcers and bleeding, suggesting the drugs may well be doing more harm than good. The need for a new approach Given how prevalent a problem back pain is, these findings highlight the urgent need for new therapies that are more effective in providing tangible relief. The report also called for a stronger focus on preventing back pain from developing, with interventions such as education andexercise programmes known to substantially reduce a person's ris...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news