A new review of the evidence finds that only a handful of common remedies provide a modest benefit for acute or chronic back pain.
  • sbv@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    8·
    9 days ago

    Cashin and his team found that only NSAIDs seemed to be effective over placebo for acute back pain, while five appeared to work for chronic back pain. These were: exercise, spinal manipulation (which is often associated with chiropractors, but can be performed by physical therapists or osteopaths), taping, antidepressants, and a class of drugs that reduce our sensitivity to pain called TRPV1 agonists (the primary ingredient responsible for a chili pepper’s burning sensation, capsaicin, is one such agonist). Other treatments that failed to meet the threshold for success included cannabinoids, muscle relaxants, opioids, acupuncture, and dry cupping.

    …

    “The current evidence shows that one in 10 non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain are efficacious, providing only small analgesic effects beyond placebo,” they wrote.

    Like the author, I’ve found exercise works best for me. 🤷‍♂️

    • kephalos@discuss.tchncs.de
      2·
      5 days ago

      Stuart McGill‘s book was the best means against back pain. I read the German translation (“rückenreparatur”) i think the English original is “back mechanic”.

      He also describes how the spinal manipulation route often loses power if applied several times.