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All the back pain remedies which don’t work revealed in major study & the treatments you should try instead

NINE out of ten treatments for short-term back pain are no good, researchers have found.

Anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, were the only thing proven to be of any use.

Senior woman experiencing back pain while standing in her living room.

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All the back pain remedies which don’t work revealed in major study – and the treatments you should try insteadCredit: Getty

Steroid injections, paracetamol, acupuncture, heat, massage, osteopathy, electrical nerve stimulation and muscle relaxants had no proven benefit, experts found.

Spinal manipulation, anti­depressants and drugs to target specific pain receptors, such as CBE, gave some relief with long-term pain, as did exercise.

Evidence was inconclusive for dozens of other treatments including acupuncture, reflex­ology and radiotherapy.

An Australian team analysed 301 medical trials to assess the best non-surgical treatments.

Just ten per cent have any proof they work.

Study author Dr Aidan Cashin said: “Our review did not find reliable evidence of large effects for any of the included ­treatments and most non-surgical treatments for low back pain were not efficacious.”

The NHS recommends anti-inflammatories, stretching, ice and heat packs to alleviate pain.

If there is no improvement, it urges patients to see a GP.

It adds: “It’s not always obvious what causes back pain and it often gets better on its own.”

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