{"id":104332,"date":"2015-04-01T07:23:14","date_gmt":"2015-04-01T07:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=104332"},"modified":"2015-04-01T07:23:14","modified_gmt":"2015-04-01T07:23:14","slug":"paracetamol-no-good-for-back-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/04\/paracetamol-no-good-for-back-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Paracetamol \u2018no good for back pain’"},"content":{"rendered":"
Paracetamol is ineffective at treating back pain and osteoarthritis despite being a recommended treatment, a group of Australian researchers has warned.<\/p>\n
Their review of 13 clinical trials, published in the British Medical Journal, said the drug did not reduce disability or improve quality of life.<\/p>\n
Instead, the group warned, it increased the odds of liver problems.<\/p>\n
The NHS is to review its guidelines. Experts say patients should consult a doctor before changing medicines.<\/p>\n
Back pain is a leading cause of disability and in the UK alone it is estimated to affect 26 million people each year.<\/p>\n
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which establishes best NHS practice, currently recommends paracetamol for both lower back pain\u00a0and for osteoarthritis.<\/p>\n
However, questions have been raised about the quality of the evidence which led to the decisions.<\/p>\n
A team at the University of Sydney assessed data from 13 drug trials involving more than 5,000 patients.<\/p>\n
They concluded that paracetamol was “ineffective” at reducing back pain.<\/p>\n
In osteoarthritis in the hip or knee, they found a small improvement with paracetamol. Yet the impact was so small it was “not clinically important”.<\/p>\n