PainRelief.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Taking opioids does not relieve acute low back pain or neck pain, and leads to worse outcomes in the long term. So opioids should not be used for these conditions.

PainRelief.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: The next challenge is to disseminate these results to clinicians and patients, and to reduce the use of opioids for these conditions.

PainRelief.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?

Response:  t is important that people who have been using opioids for a while not stop their medicines suddenly when they see this report, as this could lead to unwanted withdrawal effects. If you want to come off opioids, seek help from your doctor and other health professionals and do it together.

The study was funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council;
University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health; and
SafeWork SA

Citation:

Opioid analgesia for acute low back pain and neck pain (the OPAL trial): a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Caitlin M P Jones, Richard O Day, Bart W Koes, Jane Latimer, Chris G Maher, Andrew J McLachlan, Laurent Billot, Sana Shan, Chung-Wei Christine Lin,
on behalf of the OPAL Investigators and Coordinators*
The Lancet Published online June 28, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00404-X

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Last Updated on June 29, 2023 by PainRelief.com