Journal Club October 2017 - Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

Journal Club October 2017 - Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common emergency department presentations. Though diagnosis is often straightforward, pain management can be a source of frustration for both the patient and the provider, especially as we focus on limiting narcotic prescriptions given the spreading opiate crisis. In an effort to manage pain, practitioners often counsel patients on the use of over the counter medications or discharge them with a prescription, but what is the evidence behind these medications that we commonly use for back pain? For this month’s journal club, we reviewed three articles that studied the use of acetaminophen, NSAIDS plus muscle relaxers or opiates, and corticosteroids for the management of acute low back pain.

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