Muscle relaxants are ineffective in reducing back pain and have adverse effects: study-Hindustan Times

According to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal BMJ of the British Medical Association, muscle relaxants used to treat low back pain are basically ineffective in ensuring long-term benefits.

The study was conducted in the form of 31 randomized controlled trials involving more than 6,500 participants to evaluate the effectiveness of prescription muscle relaxants. The results show that although muscle relaxants can effectively reduce pain in the short term, they have no significant long-term benefits and increase the risk of side effects. The researchers cautioned that large trials are needed to ensure the certainty of using drugs to treat low back pain.

Researchers also urge clinicians to be transparent about the possible impact while prescribing painkillers to patients. “We will encourage clinicians to discuss with patients this uncertainty about the effectiveness and safety of muscle relaxants, and to share information about the valuable benefits in reducing pain but increasing the likelihood of experiencing non-serious adverse events. They understand treatment decisions,” they wrote.

The study also found that non-benzodiazepine antispasmodics can reduce the pain intensity at the two-week mark in patients with acute low back pain, but the effect is too small to reach the clinical threshold. However, non-benzodiazepine antispasmodics have little effect on pain. Low and very low certainty evidence also indicates that such drugs increase the risk of adverse reactions such as headache, nausea, and drowsiness. Neither medication has any long-term effects on pain.

The researchers concluded in their study: “There is an urgent need for large, high-quality, placebo-controlled trials to address the uncertainties about the effectiveness and safety of muscle relaxants in the treatment of low back pain.”