How effective are opioids for chronic low back pain?
No Thumbnail Available
Meeting name
Sponsors
Date
Journal Title
Format
Article
Subject
Abstract
Q: How effective are opioids for chronic low back pain? Evidence-based answer: Short-term (<4 months) treatment with opioids provides modest relief of chronic low back pain, but only minimal improvement in function compared with placebo (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, systematic review of lower-quality randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Tramadol isn't superior to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain relief (SOR: A, consistent results from RCTs). In addition, oxycodone with titrated morphine isn't better than naproxen for relieving pain or improving function (SOR: C, a low-quality RCT). Although no long-term RCTs have been done, cohort studies have shown that 6 to 12 months of opioid use is associated with a small decrease in pain and either very minimal improvement in, or worsening of, disability (SOR: B, prospective cohort trials).
Table of Contents
DOI
PubMed ID
Degree
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.