For Low Back Pain, the ACP Recommends Drug-Free Treatments First

The American College of Physicians (ACP) recently released brand-new guidelines regarding treatment for low back pain.  The Annals of Internal Medicine published the ACP's updated guidelines, which are based on a "systematic review of the evidence." This means that a variety of studies were reviewed that examined the effectiveness of both non-drug and drug-based low back pain treatments. Overwhelmingly, non-drug treatments came out ahead.  The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) fully backs these new recommendations, as chiropractic champions treatments without drugs and conservative approaches to back pain. Likewise, the guidelines recommend trying treatments like acupuncture, massage, heat therapy, and others for relief. If these don't work, then patients can try treatments like muscle relaxants or over-the-counter pain medication, like ibuprofen.  For patients who still have pain after trying all of the above, prescription drugs like opioids should only be used as a final measure. The reason is that opioids are notorious for being highly addictive and come with a risk of overdose – negatives which make them highly undesirable and to be used in extreme cases as a last resort option. As the ACA notes, the ACP's guidelines push the current in the right direction, as chiropractic has been proven effective for a wide array of bodily pain. Common treatments include spinal manipulation, physical therapy, and a combination of healthy diet and lifestyle changes