Common Pain Relief Drug Not Effective for Back Pain or Arthritis.
Acetaminophen appears to be ineffective in the treatment of low back pain and offers little benefit for sufferers of osteoarthritis of the hip or knee according to a new report published in the British Medical Journal. The findings are based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials that were designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of acetaminophen in the management of spinal pain and osteoarthritis. The authors of the report urge patients to pursue physical treatments as the way forward and conclude that “[ongoing] and ever-increasing concerns about pharmacological management of musculoskeletal pain highlights the importance of non-pharmacological options, which form the cornerstone of self-management of spinal pain and osteoarthritis.”
British Medical Journal, March 2015