In Australia, Panadol is the most trusted brand of pain-relieving medication. The main ingredient in Panadol is paracetamol. Acetaminophen is exactly the same chemical as paracetamol, but acetaminophen is marketed as Tylenol whereas paracetamol is marketed as Panadol.
A review of clinical practice guidelines up to the year 2008 from around the world including Australia found that almost all of the guidelines recommended paracetamol /acetaminophen as part of the first line of care for patients with low back pain. This was despite there being no actual studies even looking into whether paracetamol/acetaminophen helped in the treatment of low back pain. They just assumed it would help! So much for science!!!!
Pain killing medications such as these are at best ineffective or at worse, delaying your recovery
That was until 2008, when Davies looked into investigate if paracetamol/acetaminophen helped in the treatment of low back pain. This is what he found…
“In conclusion, there is insufficient evidence to make a determination of paracetamol’s effectiveness in low back pain treatment. This is converning since paracetamol is recommended as part of the baseline care in most clinical guidelines for low back pain”
They also looked the effect of paracetamol versus no treatment in military recruits with low back pain and found no significant difference in pain. In fact, at the end of treatment they found that taking paracetamol was found to delay recovery.
What Should You Do If You Have Low Back Pain?
Get yourself to a chiropractor and keep moving as much as you can.
According to the most comprehensive review ever done on all treatment for lower back pain (The Manga Report) chiropractic care was found to be the most effective (and cost-effective) treatment for low back pain but based upon these studies we also recommend that, in addition to chiropractic care, you avoid taking pain killing medication to avoiding delaying your recovery.
References:
Davies et al (2008). A systematic review of paracetamol (acetaminophen) for non-specific low back pain. Eur Spine Journal 17 (11): 1423-1430
Manga, et al. (1993). The Manga Report: The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic management of low-back pain. Richmond Hill, Ontario, CANADA. Kenilworth Publishing (An Independent Report Commissioned by the Ontario Provincial Government).