Not much works for low back pain, says new study

Acetaminophen. Acupuncture. Massage. Muscle relaxants. The list of available treatments for low back pain goes on. But there is no good evidence that these treatments actually reduce the pain, according to a new study that summarized the results of hundreds of randomized trials.

- Nina Agrawal

Low back pain affects about one in four American adults and is the leading contributor to disability globally. In most diagnosed cases, the pain is considered "non-specific," meaning it does not have a clear cause. That is also partly what makes it so hard to treat.

In the study published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine in March, researchers reviewed 301 randomized trials that compared 56 non-invasive treatments for low back pain, like medications and exercise, with placebos. They used a statistical method to combine the results of those studies and draw conclusions, a process known as a meta-analysis.

They found that only one treatment—the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and aspirin—was effective at reducing short-term, or acute, low back pain.

Five other treatments had good enough evidence to be considered effective at reducing chronic low back pain. These were exercise; spinal manipulation, like you might receive from a chiropractor; taping the lower back; antidepressants; and the application of a cream that creates a warming sensation. Even so, the benefit was small.