Doctors too often prescribe aggressive treatment to patients suffering from back pain. They prescribe strong painkillers, refer them to complex diagnostic tests and even surgeries, warns a report in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Most of these ailments disappear spontaneously after three months at the latest, and do not require complicated treatment or diagnostics. All you need to do is take painkillers and apply physical therapy treatments, say the authors of the report.
However, American doctors do the opposite and do not respect the recommendations. This is indicated by the analysis of a representative group of 24 thousand. patients who came to the US for an appointment in the years 1999-2010 due to back problems.
During these 12 years, 37 percent. up to 24,5 percent the prescription of less-effective painkillers such as paracetamol and non-steroidal painkillers (which include aspirin and ibuprofen) has decreased. At the same time, 19 percent. up to 29 percent prescriptions for potent drugs containing narcotic painkillers have increased.
More than 50 percent the number of diagnostic tests using magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography has also increased.
Prof. Bruce E. Landon of Harvard Medical School says there is no justification for this as most back pain passes without aggressive treatment. However, doctors find it easier to prescribe painkillers, even the strongest ones containing narcotic drugs, than to talk to the patient and explain that only exercise, rest or cold and hot compresses will help.
The specialist warns that aggressive treatment, such as surgery or the administration of strong painkillers in the form of injections, does not always improve the results of the therapy. However, it may cause serious complications, so it should be used as a last resort when the pains are persistent and recurrent, and conservative treatment has no effect. (PAP)
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