21 Oct Shocking Study Upends Traditional Pondering On Back Pain
Probably the greatest things about medical science is that it stays open to learning and understanding recent things – at the least when it’s practiced properly. It should all the time be receptive to recent discoveries and studies, even when the info goes against traditional pondering. Enter a shocking recent study that upends traditional pondering on treating back pain.
The Australian study undercuts the concept that prescription pain medications – and opioids specifically – are one of the best plan of action for treating acute or chronic back pain. Researchers discovered that prescription opioids are not any higher than placebo over the long run. They are actually calling for a rethink of how we treat chronic back pain.
A 12-Month Study
Researchers on the University of Sydney’s Sydney School of Public Health recently concluded the primary ever OPAL trial looking into the effectiveness of prescription opioids for treating pain within the neck and lower back. As an OPAL trial, the study was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial based on the goal of determining efficacy.
Some 350 participants were recruited from emergency departments and first care sites. Every one was randomly assigned a six-week course of either prescription opioids or placebo. Participants also received standard care and medical advice, and so they were followed up with at six weeks and one yr.
When all the info was analyzed, here’s what it revealed:
- Members of the opioid group didn’t report higher pain relief at six weeks in comparison with the placebo group.
- Members of the placebo group reported higher quality of life and pain consequence at 52 weeks.
- Members of the opioid group showed the next risk of opioid misuse at 52 weeks.
The last statistic will not be all that surprising given what we learn about opioids. What’s surprising is the second statistic. The undeniable fact that the placebo group reported higher quality of life and pain consequence says something significant. It suggests that how an individual thinks of and feels about pain influences the actual pain experience.
Other Ways to Treat Back Pain
A correct evaluation of the Australian study results in the inevitable conclusion that prescription opioids mustn’t be the primary course of treatment for back pain. One could even make the case that it must be the very last option after every part else has been tried. Fortunately, there are other ways to treat back pain.
When degenerative disc disease is the wrongdoer, treatment options range from discography to medial branch blocks and lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy. When facet joint syndrome is revealed as the basis reason behind back pain, facet joint injections and stellate ganglion blocks are good candidates.
We could proceed listing sources of back pain and describing the varied treatment options clinicians need to work with. Nonetheless, the purpose is made well enough: there are enough treatment options to think about that doctors don’t must accept writing a prescription and sending the patient on their way.
Let’s Take a Fresh Look
Researchers and clinicians alike will take a wide range of positions on the Australian study in the approaching weeks and months. Here at Lone Star Pain Medicine, we would like to give you a recent perspective. If you might have been living with chronic back pain and haven’t found relief through prescription medications or other traditional treatments, let’s take a fresh look together.
As a pain management clinic, now we have options your GP may not have discussed with you. Allow us to speak about what those options are and the way they could give you the relief you been looking for. Back pain doesn’t have to regulate your life. Neither do prescription medications.
