(November 9, 2007 - Insidermedicine) The use of anti-inflammatories and spinal manipulative therapy don’t help patients with acute low back pain recover more quickly, as previously thought, say experts in a report published in The Lancet.

Here is more information about acute low back pain:
•    Low back pain affects millions of American adults each day. It is estimated that 80% of adults will have low back pain during their lifetime. Within about six weeks, most episodes will resolve satisfactorily regardless of treatment
•    For most patients, reassurance, pain medications, and advice to stay active are sufficient.
•    Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as diclofenac, and spinal manipulation are recommended as second-line management to speed recovery

Researchers studied 240 patients to investigate the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs and spinal manipulative therapy on patients with low back pain. The patients were treated with diclofenac twice daily plus manipulative therapy; spinal manipulative therapy plus placebo; diclofenac and placebo manipulative therapy; or double placebo.

They found that neither diclofenac nor spinal manipulative therapy significantly reduced the recovery time compared with placebo drug or placebo manipulative therapy. Nearly 60% of each group had recovered by 40 days and there were no significant differences between the groups.

If you suffer from acute low back pain, you should try to stay active while taking an over-the-counter pain killer such as acetaminophen. You can also apply ice for 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times a day or as often as once every hour to reduce inflammation. In the vast majority of cases, your pain will subside in a few days. If your pain continues through at least two weeks of home treatment, talk with your doctor.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.