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Is paracetamol effective for back pain?

Nearly 4 million people in Australia suffer from back pain at any one time, with total treatment costs exceeding $1 billion per year. Most back pain cannot be attributed to a specific cause and is generally described as ‘non-specific’. While many treatment options are available international guidelines recommend staying active, avoiding bed rest and taking regular simple analgesics, such as paracetamol, as treatment for a new episode of non-specific back pain.

Paracetamol is endorsed because it is a safe and cost-effective treatment that is helpful for other musculoskeletal conditions. However at present the treatment efficacy of paracetamol for a new episode of low back pain is unclear. Perhaps because of this uncertainty only 20% of patients with new low back pain are prescribed or recommended paracetamol. In addition, most people with back pain do not take paracetamol correctly; data suggest that less than 10% of patients with a new episode of low back pain take paracetamol regularly up to the daily recommended dose.

Researchers from The George Institute, the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales are conducting a study investigating the effects of paracetamol for a new episode of low back pain. This study will recruit 1650 patients from GP practices in the Sydney metropolitan area, and will follow patients’ recovery for three months. This study will find out whether taking paracetamol is effective for a new episode of low back pain, and also whether taking paracetamol regularly is more effective than taking paracetamol on an as-required basis.

The results of this study will have immediate implications for clinical management of low back pain. If the findings demonstrate that a regular course of paracetamol is effective in speeding recovery, the cost-savings to individual patients and to our healthcare system will be very significant.

This study is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Foundation. For further information, please contact Professor Chris Maher, Director, Musculoskeletal Division, The George Institute, Ph +61 2 9657 0382.