Prescripton medications now kill more Americans than all the illegal drugs combined! Most of these medications are the opioid (narcotic) class such as Vicodin, Tylenol 3, Narco, Oxycontin, and Oxycodone. Many people take these for back pain. These drugs can be very effective for acute pain such as post-surgical pain and pain from cancer, but studies show that they are not very effective for most chronic conditions including chronic low back pain.
JAMA Internal Medicine recently published a pooled study of 20 high quality randomized trials and found that the drugs relieved pain slightly, but the effects were not clinically significant, and the medicines did little to improve disability. The effectiveness was similar to that achieved by NSAID's such as aspirin.
Why do you think so many medical providers continue to prescribe these dangerous ineffective drugs instead of referring patients to much safer treatments done by chiropractors and PT's?
JAMA Internal Medicine recently published a pooled study of 20 high quality randomized trials and found that the drugs relieved pain slightly, but the effects were not clinically significant, and the medicines did little to improve disability. The effectiveness was similar to that achieved by NSAID's such as aspirin.
Why do you think so many medical providers continue to prescribe these dangerous ineffective drugs instead of referring patients to much safer treatments done by chiropractors and PT's?
Opioids Narcotics Often Ineffective for Low Back Pain
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