PainRelief.com Interview with:
Filippo Migliorini MD, PhD, MBA
Department of Orthopedic, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery
RWTH University Hospital of Aachen
PainRelief.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Acute low back pain imposes a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. The pharmacological management of acute low back pain aims to restore daily activities and improve the quality of life. No magic bullet exists: interventions to reduce pain and disability are available, but long-term results are unpredictable. This is often hard to accept for clinicians and patients and provides fertile soil to quacks, faith healers, and gurus to promote miraculous non-evidence-based solutions. Education in this regard needs to improve.
Acute low back pain management is not well codified and extremely heterogeneous, and residual symptoms are common. Depending on the individual severity, pharmacological management may range from nonopioid to opioid analgesics. The literature regarding the best non-opioid pharmacological management of acute low back pain is limited, and the indications available in the literature are conflicting. Our investigation aimed to systematically review the level I evidence on the administration of myorelaxants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and paracetamol in patients with low back pain.