Latest news with #TRPV1
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Just 1 in 10 back pain treatments work, study says — what to do instead
Chronic back pain is the most common type of pain, affecting around 16 million American adults — and now a new study has revealed some discouraging findings about potential treatments. Only around one in every 10 treatments was found to be effective in relieving lower back pain, according to a new study published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. Many of them are "barely better than a placebo" in terms of pain relief, as stated in a press release from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. 'Dead Butt Syndrome' Could Happen After Sitting Too Long, Here's How To Avoid The Condition "Our review did not find reliable evidence of large effects for any of the included treatments," said lead study author Dr. Aidan Cashin, deputy director of the Centre for Pain IMPACT at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and conjoint senior lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at UNSW Sydney. The researchers reviewed 301 randomized, controlled trials that included data on 56 non-surgical treatments for adults experiencing acute low back pain, chronic low back pain or a combination of both types, comparing them to groups that received placebos. Read On The Fox News App "Treatments included in the research were pharmacological, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – or NSAIDs – and muscle relaxants, but also non-pharmacological, like exercise and massage," Cashin said. Ineffective treatments for acute low back pain included exercise, steroid injections and paracetamol (acetaminophen), the study found. For chronic low back pain, antibiotics and anaesthetics were also "unlikely to be suitable treatment options," the study found. For acute low back pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could be effective, the study found. For chronic low back pain, therapies including exercise, taping, spinal manipulation, antidepressants and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonists may be effective — "however, those effects were small," Cashin noted. The findings were "inconclusive" for many other treatments due to the "limited number of randomized participants and poor study quality," the researchers stated. "We need further high-quality, placebo-controlled trials to understand the efficacy of treatments and remove the uncertainty for both patients and clinical teams," Cashin said. Dr. Stephen Clark, a physical therapist and chief clinical officer at Confluent Health in Georgia, noted that the study was looking at "isolated interventions." "They excluded studies where it was not possible to isolate the effectiveness of the target intervention," Clark, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. Pain is a complex condition influenced by many different factors, according to Clark. "Determining a specific cause of low back pain, particularly when the pain is persistent, is difficult, as the BMJ study points out," he said. "Things like stress, sleep quality, fatigue, fear, social situations, nutrition, sickness and previous history of pain all play a role in how we experience pain." Clark recommends "multimodal" treatments for pain, including multiple interventions tailored to each individual patient's experience. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "Physical therapy research shows that manual therapy (joint mobilization/manipulation, soft tissue techniques), active interventions like exercise, and education about why you hurt and what to do about it is the ticket," he said. "It's also important to remember that what worked for someone else might not be the exact pathway that works for you." While surgical intervention can be effective for some patients, Clark noted that it can present its own challenges and should be a "last resort" for non-emergency situations. For more Health articles, visit "While surgery is indicated in some cases, it's almost never the answer in isolation," he said. "Understanding pain and the complexity around a person's situation must be in view." "In many cases, conservative care can prevent or delay the need for invasive procedures."Original article source: Just 1 in 10 back pain treatments work, study says — what to do instead
Fox News
20-03-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Just 1 in 10 back pain treatments work, study says — what to do instead
Chronic back pain is the most common type of pain, affecting around 16 million American adults — and now a new study has revealed some discouraging findings about potential treatments. Only around one in every 10 treatments was found to be effective in relieving lower back pain, according to a new study published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. Many of them are "barely better than a placebo" in terms of pain relief, as stated in a press release from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. "Our review did not find reliable evidence of large effects for any of the included treatments," said lead study author Dr. Aidan Cashin, deputy director of the Centre for Pain IMPACT at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and conjoint senior lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at UNSW Sydney. The researchers reviewed 301 randomized, controlled trials that included data on 56 non-surgical treatments for adults experiencing acute low back pain, chronic low back pain or a combination of both types, comparing them to groups that received placebos. "Treatments included in the research were pharmacological, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – or NSAIDs – and muscle relaxants, but also non-pharmacological, like exercise and massage," Cashin said. Ineffective treatments for acute low back pain included exercise, steroid injections and paracetamol (acetaminophen), the study found. For chronic low back pain, antibiotics and anaesthetics were also "unlikely to be suitable treatment options," the study found. For acute low back pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could be effective, the study found. For chronic low back pain, therapies including exercise, taping, spinal manipulation, antidepressants and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonists may be effective — "however, those effects were small," Cashin noted. "Things like stress, sleep quality, fatigue, fear, social situations, nutrition, sickness and previous history of pain all play a role in how we experience pain." The findings were "inconclusive" for many other treatments due to the "limited number of randomized participants and poor study quality," the researchers stated. "We need further high-quality, placebo-controlled trials to understand the efficacy of treatments and remove the uncertainty for both patients and clinical teams," Cashin said. Dr. Stephen Clark, a physical therapist and chief clinical officer at Confluent Health in Georgia, noted that the study was looking at "isolated interventions." "They excluded studies where it was not possible to isolate the effectiveness of the target intervention," Clark, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. Pain is a complex condition influenced by many different factors, according to Clark. "Determining a specific cause of low back pain, particularly when the pain is persistent, is difficult, as the BMJ study points out," he said. "Things like stress, sleep quality, fatigue, fear, social situations, nutrition, sickness and previous history of pain all play a role in how we experience pain." Clark recommends "multimodal" treatments for pain, including multiple interventions tailored to each individual patient's experience. "Physical therapy research shows that manual therapy (joint mobilization/manipulation, soft tissue techniques), active interventions like exercise, and education about why you hurt and what to do about it is the ticket," he said. "It's also important to remember that what worked for someone else might not be the exact pathway that works for you." While surgical intervention can be effective for some patients, Clark noted that it can present its own challenges and should be a "last resort" for non-emergency situations. For more Health articles, visit "While surgery is indicated in some cases, it's almost never the answer in isolation," he said. "Understanding pain and the complexity around a person's situation must be in view." "In many cases, conservative care can prevent or delay the need for invasive procedures."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Only one in 10 treatments for lower back pain ‘are effective'
The majority of treatments for lower back pain may not be effective, according to a new review. While the NHS advises that back pain will usually improve 'within a few weeks', this may seem like a lifetime to sufferers who will look for ways to alleviate their pain. But a new study has found that only one in 10 treatments for lower back pain are effective, with those that improve symptoms only having 'slight' or 'small' effects on pain. Experts found that evidence was 'inconclusive' for a number of popular treatments. Researchers led by academics in Australia set out to examine the effectiveness of non-surgical back pain treatments in adults. They looked at 301 trials examining 56 different treatments for lower back pain. People involved with the studies reported pain intensity at the start of the trial and again after treatment. Researchers also assessed the certainty of the evidence provided in the studies. They found that just one treatment for acute low back pain and five treatments for chronic – or long-term – back pain were 'efficacious'. These include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, for short-term back pain. For long-term back pain the treatments found to be effective were exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants and a type of drug called transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). But even these were only found to have 'slight' or 'small' reductions in pain compared with a placebo – or dummy drug. 'Best available evidence shows that one in 10 common non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain are efficacious, providing small analgesic effects beyond placebo,' the authors said. They said that exercise, paracetamol and glucocorticoid injections 'probably provides little to no difference in pain' for acute lower back issues. Antibiotics and anaesthetics were also found to be 'not efficacious' for long-term lower back problems. Meanwhile the rest of the interventions studied had 'inconclusive evidence' so the authors called for more studies to examine the 'remaining uncertainty' surrounding a number of back pain treatments. While the evidence was deemed to be inconclusive, the information available did point to some of these being effective for acute back pain. For example the authors found that the certainty of the evidence for acupuncture was 'low' but the information that is available suggests that it may provide moderate reductions in pain for both short and long-term back pain. And while massage is said to have large reductions in pain, the evidence surrounding this claim is 'very low'. Other interventions where the evidence was deemed to be inconclusive include heat, TENS, opioids and muscle relaxants. The authors, writing in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, added: 'Most non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain were not efficacious. 'Around 10% of non-surgical and non-interventional treatments provided small analgesic effects beyond placebo. 'For acute low back pain, there is moderate certainty evidence that NSAIDs are efficacious. 'For chronic low back pain, there is moderate certainty evidence that exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants, and TRPV1 agonists are efficacious.'
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Only one in 10 treatments for lower back pain ‘are effective'
The majority of treatments for lower back pain may not be effective, according to a new review. While the NHS advises that back pain will usually improve 'within a few weeks', this may seem like a lifetime to sufferers who will look for ways to alleviate their pain. But a new study has found that only one in 10 treatments for lower back pain are effective, with those that improve symptoms only having 'slight' or 'small' effects on pain. Experts found that evidence was 'inconclusive' for a number of popular treatments. Researchers led by academics in Australia set out to examine the effectiveness of non-surgical back pain treatments in adults. They looked at 301 trials examining 56 different treatments for lower back pain. People involved with the studies reported pain intensity at the start of the trial and again after treatment. Researchers also assessed the certainty of the evidence provided in the studies. They found that just one treatment for acute low back pain and five treatments for chronic – or long-term – back pain were 'efficacious'. These include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, for short-term back pain. For long-term back pain the treatments found to be effective were exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants and a type of drug called transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). But even these were only found to have 'slight' or 'small' reductions in pain compared with a placebo – or dummy drug. 'Best available evidence shows that one in 10 common non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain are efficacious, providing small analgesic effects beyond placebo,' the authors said. They said that exercise, paracetamol and glucocorticoid injections 'probably provides little to no difference in pain' for acute lower back issues. Antibiotics and anaesthetics were also found to be 'not efficacious' for long-term lower back problems. Meanwhile the rest of the interventions studied had 'inconclusive evidence' so the authors called for more studies to examine the 'remaining uncertainty' surrounding a number of back pain treatments. While the evidence was deemed to be inconclusive, the information available did point to some of these being effective for acute back pain. For example the authors found that the certainty of the evidence for acupuncture was 'low' but the information that is available suggests that it may provide moderate reductions in pain for both short and long-term back pain. And while massage is said to have large reductions in pain, the evidence surrounding this claim is 'very low'. Other interventions where the evidence was deemed to be inconclusive include heat, TENS, opioids and muscle relaxants. The authors, writing in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, added: 'Most non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain were not efficacious. 'Around 10% of non-surgical and non-interventional treatments provided small analgesic effects beyond placebo. 'For acute low back pain, there is moderate certainty evidence that NSAIDs are efficacious. 'For chronic low back pain, there is moderate certainty evidence that exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants, and TRPV1 agonists are efficacious.'
