A new study discovered one in six people experienced pain relief after taking common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Sydney, Australia-based George Institute for Global Health researchers analyzed 35 studies on using NSAIDs for back pain treatment. These studies focused on ibuprofen, naproxen, cox-2 inhibitors and diclofenac. The studies included about 6,000 people taking the drugs for an average of seven days.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases published the study.
Here are three observations:
1. The researchers found these NSAIDs offered people a small amount of pain relief and function improvement.
2. Also, those people taking the drugs were 2.5 time more likely to suffer gastrointestinal side effects, compared to those who took placebos.
3. The researchers noted studies have not yet looked into NSAIDs' effects on spinal pain over a longer time period.