SR: Exercise is the only intervention to provide long-term improvement in patients with chronic low back pain
Question
What interventions are effective in managing patients with chronic low back pain?
Conclusion
The interventions that are better than control in achieving at least a 30% reduction in pain are exercise, oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), duloxetine, and opioids, but discontinuations of the latter 2 treatments were common. Lower-quality data suggest that manipulation and topical capsaicin are also effective. Finally, it is possible the authors’ inclusion criteria missed important studies.