A combination of muscle relaxants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is the best treatment for low back pain and back pain that isn’t chronic, according to a new study.
- To relieve low back pain, the combination of muscle relaxants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is the best treatment.
- This only applies to back problems that are not chronic.
- The regular practice of a sport is very important for back problems.
Four out of five people will suffer from low back pain in their lifetime, according to health insurance and more than half of the French population has had at least one episode of back pain in the last twelve months.
NSAIDs and muscle relaxants to treat low back pain
To prevent and cure low back pain, regular physical activity is the most important habit to adopt. But, when it is not sufficient, treatments can be prescribed. Researchers have determined which are the most effective in preventing back pain. Their work has been published in the journal Journal of Orthopedic Research.
To conduct their research, the scientists analyzed the results of studies that had already been published on this subject: 18 in total involving 3,478 participants. They discovered that two drugs, taken together, were particularly effective in relieving low back pain: muscle relaxants – or muscle relaxants – and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
According to Vidalthe first ones “can be prescribed, usually for short periods, in the adjunctive treatment of painful muscle contractures, for example after an injury. By relaxing the muscle, they help fight pain.”
NSAIDs are drugs that reduce or eliminate the symptoms associated with an inflammatory phenomenon. Some are sold without a prescription. According health insurancethey are available in different forms: oral, rectal, cutaneous, injectable.
NSAIDs can also be combined with paracetamol to relieve the back
Scientists also note that the combination of NSAIDs and paracetamol is associated with better improvement in low back pain than paracetamol or NSAIDs alone. They point out that the study results only apply to lower back pain that is not chronic.
“This is a first step towards optimizing the management of acute low back pain, explains Alice Baroncini. However, specific patient characteristics such as allergies and comorbidities should always be considered. Additional research [devront être menées pour identifier] the type of medication that not only relieves the pain the most and the fastest, and decreases the rate of recurrence of symptoms.“
