Study Reports NSAIDS Are No Better Than Placebo For Low Back Pain
Back pain effects up to 80 percent of adults some time during their lifetime. Back pain is the number one cause of disability in the United States.The Annals of Rheumatic Disease published a metanalysis of multiple studies that looked at the uses of NSAID's in the treatment of low back pain. NSAIDs are non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, Alieve, Motrin, and ibuprofen. The analysis included 35 research studies with over 6000 participants. They found that these medication did provide some pain relief but it was not considered to be clinically significant. This Australian study found that only 1 of ever 6 patients taking NSAIDs had clinically important symptom relief and it was only for a short time. Research into NSAIDs’ risks comes from an analysis of multiple studies. NSAIDs have been shown to increase the risk of gastrointestinal problems. Chronic long term use of NSAIDs can cause kidney damage such as chronic interstitial nephritis. NSAIDs can make you body retain fluid causing more work for your kidneys and potentially increasing your blood pressure. Allergic reactions to NSAIDs can cause serious health risks such as breathing difficulty and even death. People using NSAIDs have a higher risk of stroke and heart attack and this can occur in as little as 1 week of NSAID usage. . Studies have found the risk of heart attack or stroke was raised by one third when high doses of the NSAID diclofenac. The higher the dosage of NSAID the greater the risk of a cardiovascular event. The risk of heart failure doubled with the use of the NSAIDs, diclofenac, ibuprofen, celecoxib, and naproxen. A person who regularly uses NSAIDs should not stop taking them abruptly because they run the risk of serious blood clots. NSAID's act as blood thinners and can increase bleeding risks especially when taken with blood thinners. You need to work with your doctor to gradually taper off NSAIDS if you and your doctor decide you should stop taking these medications. Chiropractic spinal manipulation has been shown to be an effective treatment for low back pain. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published a review of 26 randomized clinical trials. The study found that chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy resulted improvement in both low back pain and spinal function. No serious adverse event was reported with these randomized clinical trails.
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