NYT: Most Treatments for Lower Back Pain Don’t Really Work, Study Finds
Acetaminophen. Acupuncture. Massage. Muscle relaxants. Cannabinoids. Opioids. The list of available treatments for low back pain goes on and on. But there’s not good evidence that these treatments actually reduce the pain, according to a new study that summarized the results of hundreds of randomized trials.
Low back pain affects an estimated one in four American adults and is the leading contributor to disability globally. In most diagnosed cases, the pain is considered “nonspecific,” meaning it doesn’t have a clear cause. That’s also partly what makes it so hard to treat.
In the study, published on Tuesday in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, researchers reviewed 301 randomized trials that compared 56 noninvasive treatments for low back pain, like medications and exercise, with placebos. They used a statistical method to combine the results of those studies and draw conclusions, a process known as a meta-analysis.
The researchers found that only one treatment – the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and aspirin – was effective at reducing short-term, or acute, low back pain. Five other treatments had good enough evidence to be considered effective at reducing chronic low back pain. These were exercise; spinal manipulation, like you might receive from a chiropractor; taping the lower back; antidepressants; and the application of a cream that creates a warming sensation. Even so, the benefit was small.
Raspberry Pi: Track air quality anywhere with Raspberry Pi
Arnov Sharma has created a handheld air quality meter which can use a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 connected to a gas sensor to display the current levels of a host of hazards. “My Air Quality Meter was created with the intention of measuring the degree of air pollution in my city,” he explains. “Since we’d just had an air quality issue in New Delhi, where I live, I thought it would be a good idea to try to develop a project to measure the pollution level.”
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With his project, Arnov has sought to detect carbon dioxide, smoke, benzene, alcohol, nitrogen oxide, and ammonia in the air. In doing so, his resulting device is able to display the levels of gases produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, and coal, as well as some of those pumped out by vehicles and emitted from hazardous waste sites. The detection of ammonia is indicative of the amount of livestock waste, decaying organic matter, and fertiliser production. It helps to build a general understanding of the air quality in any given location, Arnov says.
Uses the PCBWay MQ135 sensor.
Last Updated: 19.Mar.2025 16:47 EDT
