Back pain treatment is useless, experts warn

Millions of patients with back pain are being given pointless drugs, surgery and injections, with a third prescribed dangerous opioids, experts say.

Doctors prefer to offer useless and often harmful treatments rather than tell patients there is nothing to be done except stay active, an international group of scientists has found.

Exercise and psychological therapy are the only things that work for most cases of chronic back pain but too many people wrongly believe the myth that rest is best for the condition, they add.

Job satisfaction and a positive attitude are among the strongest indicators of whether back pain will turn into serious disability but their report, published on Thursday, says doctors are reluctant to discuss social and psychological approaches, preferring needless scans.

Back pain is the world’s leading cause of disability, with up to half a billion estimated to suffer from it worldwide but a series in The Lancet says that it is routinely badly treated. In Britain one in seven GP appointments is for

‘‘We don’t understand what causes the vast majority of back pain.’’ Professor Martin Underwood

muscle and nerve problems, mostly back pain.

Guidelines recommend mainly exercise and therapy but Martin Underwood of the University of Warwick, one of the series’ authors, says they are often ignored. ‘‘It’s something that we’re not very well equipped to deal with. Patients understandably look for a cure but the reality is we don’t have a cure. We don’t understand what causes the vast majority of back pain.’’

Steroid injections are increasing, as are scans that often lead to surgery, a fifth of which actually makes the problem worse, Professor Underwood said.

‘‘The evidence underpinning these invasive treatments is very weak indeed. And they have harms.’’

He pointed to studies showing that a third of patients with back pain are given opioids such as tramadol, codeine and morphine but said: ‘‘If anything the evidence is that [opioids] can end up making your pain worse.’’

Past studies have found that pills like paracetamol and ibuprofen barely help with back pain and can be highly addictive. Psychological techniques can stop it leading to permanent disability, however.

‘‘Your belief system and psychological state are important predictors of whether you’re going to end up disabled. It’s a difficult message to get across,’’ Professor Underwood said.