Editor’s note: Get inspired with a weekly roundup of simple tips for living well. Sign up for CNN Life, But Better to receive information and tools that will improve your well-being.

A new study suggests that opioid medications may not be effective in treating low back pain, despite being one of the most commonly prescribed treatments.

It is not uncommon to experience pain in the lower back and neck. According to a study of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, neck pain is the fourth most common cause of disability in the world.

According to the North American Spine Society, chronic low back pain is defined by symptoms lasting more than 12 week.

The clinical guidelines of the society state that physicians should limit opioid use to a short period when treating this type of pain. The use of opioids for pain relief is only recommended when other pharmacological treatment has failed or if the patient cannot take them due to personal reasons.

In a press release, Christine Lin, professor at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health of the University of Sydney, Australia, said that despite these guidelines, “there is no evidence of their effectiveness in reducing pain,” opioid pain relievers were still prescribed for people suffering from lower back and neck discomfort in many countries. Lin is the senior author of a study published in The Lancet on Wednesday.

A small group of 310 patients was studied by the scientists due to the lack of research. Patients in Sydney sought treatment for neck or lower-back pain at primary care clinics and hospitals between February 2016 to March 2022. Participants were averagely 44 years old at the start of the study and had suffered from neck or lower back pain for 12 weeks.

The participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group received a combination of up to 20 micrograms per day of the opioid oxycodone. Naloxone was used as a way to prevent constipation – a common side-effect of opioids – and keep participants from knowing which group they were. The other group was told to take a pill that contained a placebo.

Both groups received care tips from the doctor, whom they were instructed to visit weekly. The doctor reassured them and advised them to avoid bed rest, stay active and, if necessary, avoid other treatments, including nonopioids.

The authors found that opioids were no more effective than placebos in treating back and neck pain. Six weeks after treatment, the average pain score in the opioid group was 2.78 and 2.25 in placebo group. This difference increased over time. The opioid group reported more ongoing pain in weeks 26 and 52 compared to the placebo group.

The authors also discovered opioids are unlikely to relieve back and neck pain but they may also cause harm, even after short-term use.

The opioid group scored lower on mental health and had more reports of nausea and dizziness than the placebo group. Lin stated in a press release that “we also know that even a short-term prescription of opioid pain relievers increases the risk of long-term opioid misuse.”

Opioids and pain

Experts and authors of the study who were not involved in the new study have theories as to why opioids didn’t prove more effective than placebo.

Experts said that it is possible that the opioid group’s back or neck pain had more underlying causes than the authors realized — factors that are known to be resistant to opioid treatment.

According to Dr. Mark D. Sullivan, and Dr. Jane C. Ballantyne who were not involved in the study, the pain treated could have been chronic, recurring, rather than the type of pain caused by acute injury. Sullivan is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Ballantyne, a retired Professor of Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, and the University of Washington.

Sullivan and Ballantyne stated that participants only had to be pain-free for 1 month before they experienced their current episode. “If many of these patients had recurrent back pain, that could explain the non-response.” Low back pain is reported to change over a period of a year.”

Dr. John Finkenberg is a San Diego-based orthopedic spine surgeon who believes that certain areas of neck and back pain need to be treated separately. He was not involved in the study.

“If someone had both going on, they will, quite frankly, have a systemic issue going on. Whether it is general arthritis or rheumatoid. We have to be cautious with patients who come in with both,” said Finkenberg, also the president of the North American Spine Society.

The authors did not collect data on the care that doctors provided in follow-up visits, so they were unable to determine whether patients followed advice or if it had any impact. Only 57% of participants indicated that they took their medication as prescribed. Just over half of those participants took more than 80% their prescriptions.

Back and neck pain: How to manage it

The authors believe that because opioids are not beneficial but can cause harm, they shouldn’t be prescribed for acute neck or lower-back pain.

Lin stated in the news release that doctors should instead be encouraged to focus their attention on patient-centred methods, which could include advice about staying active and simple pain relievers. “The good news for people with acute neck and low back pain is that they recover naturally within six weeks.”

The authors studied nonspecific neck or back pain, which is pain that has an unknown cause. Finkenberg argued that when doctors don’t have a clue as to the cause, they shouldn’t use opioids as a first option or a quick solution.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, or NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen naproxen and Celecoxib, are helpful alternatives to opioids. According to a study conducted in February, a combination of an NSAID with a prescription muscle relaxing drug can reduce pain and disability in a week.

Exercises that improve range of motion can also be helpful. Stretches can be used to improve or maintain mobility.

Finkenberg advised that people with these pains “should also use their body as a barometer.” Don’t force yourself to continue an activity if your body is uncomfortable. This could cause the area to become more inflamed, causing further pain and damage.

Finkenberg advised that if your pain or weakness persists after three to four week, you should “really go to a specialist as it is difficult to detect these subtleties of why people are experiencing discomforts.” If advanced diagnostic tests are required, it is better to get them sooner.

A young woman who had life-saving surgery performed at Beaumont Hospital in January has pledged to raise funds for research to help doctors and other patients in similar situations.

Clare Kavanagh, from Wexford, was living a normal life in January 2023 when a persistent neck pain began to bother her.

“I was living my life as normal, working, planning the future, spending time with family and friends, and looking forward,” she said.

Read more: RTE Board told of Tubs payment issue in same week as he announced Late late exit

She says that in “what appeared to be a blink of an eye, everything changed” when she began experiencing health problems which she had at first attributed to a previous injury or sleeping a certain way.

“I was experiencing persistent neck pain for several months. I went to physiotherapy, and put it down to a previous injury or sleeping a certain way,” explained the woman.

Clare, when physio failed to resolve the issue, sought a referral for a MRI scan. We assumed that it was a recurrence of an old injury because nothing else had been on our radar.

She said, “The results of my MRI were shocking.”

“It showed that a large tumor was growing inside my spine cord. This tumour was at the top of my spinal cord, just below my cerebral stem. This is a rare type of tumor, located in a dangerous location for surgery or treatment.

The tumour was located in the “prime real estate” of the spine, and surgery was the only way to remove it. I would have ended up in a wheelchair and suffered further degenerative effects if this surgery had not been performed.

Clare, a young and fit woman, found it difficult to comprehend the life-altering scenarios and risks that doctors described in the event of a failed surgery.

“I was referred by Beaumont Hospital to the best neurosurgical team in the nation. This team was the only one that could handle the risks of the surgery. Clare explained that she was “my only hope”.

“Within five-weeks of my diagnosis, I underwent an arduous, 12-hour surgery that was highly precise. The outcome was nothing less than a miracle. “I attribute this miracle to the skills, dedication, and experience of my medical team, as well as the prayers of many!”

Clare’s team of Beaumont surgeons was able to remove the entire tumour. She still has a long recovery road ahead of her, but she achieved the result she wanted.

She said that due to the invasiveness of the surgery she had to relearn to walk and regain use of her arms and hands. The Wexford woman, however, is determined to not only rebuild herself but to raise money to help others.

“I promised before I went to hospital that if it could be removed by a miracle, I would do everything I could to raise money for the people who saved my life. My surgeon, Professor Bolger, asked that the money be donated to the Beaumont Neurosurgery Research and Development Fund.

“I will be organizing a fundraising concert once I am physically recovered, but I wanted to start the ball rolling by creating a GoFundMe account. This money will go towards the incredible work of this team and department who literally save lives every day. These funds are needed because we all know that the health care system is broken.

“I’ll never be in a position to repay them in full, but I can at least contribute in a small way to the amazing work that they do in Beaumont.”

Clare raised EUR6,000 in less than 24 hours. Donations came from all over. Clare thanked her family and friends, as well as all those who contributed to the fundraising. She told people to keep their eyes open for concert details coming in the new year.

Clare’s GoFundMe Page can be found HERE.

A federal jury, despite the defendant’s admission of negligence, awarded no damages to the woman who claimed neck injury following a rear-end accident on Interstate 64.

The big question was whether she was injured, and if so, how much of her injuries were related to the accident, said Brian McChesney, an attorney with Rynearson, Suess, Schnurbusch & Champion.

McChesney represented Jeffrey Gershman for his February 2019 traffic accident in St. Clair County in Illinois with plaintiff Teresa Neville. Neville claimed that she would require a cervical fusion in order to relieve the neck pain caused by her accident.

McChesney said that Neville’s problems requiring hydrocodone and chiropractic treatment dated back nearly two decades. McChesney said the crash was not the cause of the problems.

“When we looked back at the six-month period before the accident, her terms used in speaking to her doctors were almost the same as those she used after the accident,” he said.

McChesney stated that there was little dispute about the facts of the crash and his client admitted fault.

Emery Reusch, of Brown & Crouppen who represented the plaintiff did not respond to a comment request.

RELATED Click to search and submit your Verdicts and Settlements

Defense verdict for out-of-state

Motor vehicle collision

Venue: U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois

Case Number/Date 3:21-cv-131/March 9 2023

Judge: Reona Dally

Plaintiffs’ Experts : Eric Sincoff (neurosurgery), St. Louis

Experts for the Defendants: Donald deGrange (St. Louis)

Last Pretrial Demand : $150,000

Last Pretrial Offer: $100

State Farm Insurance

Caption: Teresa Neville v. Jeffrey Gershman

Plaintiffs’ attorneys: Emery Reusch Brown & Crouppen St. Louis

Defendants’ Attorneys: Brian McChesney, Rynearson, Suess, Schnurbusch & Champion, St. Louis

F