There has been a rise in back pain problems in recent times. Hours of sitting at a desk can often lead to such issues, which highlight the complications of a sedentary lifestyle.
Luckily for us, scientists have found the perfect combination of drugs that can alleviate back pain.
In the study, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, researchers found over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, is ineffective on its own to treat backache.
Instead, the researchers from Germany, suggest taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen together as the best way to relieve back pain.
Back pain is the world’s leading cause of disability prevalent in 80% of adults, according to StudyFinds.
“This is a first step towards the optimization of the management of acute low back pain,” lead author Dr. Alice Baroncini of RWTH University Hospital in Aachen, Germany, said. “However, specific patient characteristics such as having allergies and comorbidities must always be taken into consideration.”
In the study, researchers analyzed data from 18 global studies, having almost 3,500 participants. It was found the most improvement in pain happened when acetaminophen (drugs like Tylenol) was used in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen. NSAIDs also include drugs such as naproxen, diclofenac, and celecoxib.
“Acute low back pain (LBP) imposes a significant socioeconomic burden as it is the condition that, worldwide, causes the most disability,” the researchers wrote in their paper.
According to the outlet, over 60 million Americans suffer from episodes of back pain. It can be caused by a myriad of reasons, including a pulled muscle and a slipped disc.
“The combination of NSAIDs and paracetamol was associated with a greater improvement than the use of NSAIDs alone, but paracetamol alone did not induce any significant improvement,” the research team concluded.
“It is fundamental to highlight that this work only refers to the therapy of nonspecific, acute LBP. When treating patients with acute LBP, it is important to rule out the possible specific cause of pain that may require specific actions or diagnostics, for example, a history of cancer or recent trauma; identification of possible red flags should always be a pillar of the assessment of acute LBP,” researchers advised.