Low Back Pain may Be Reduced by Opioid Painkillers

A new study has suggested opioid pain medications for workers with chronic low back pain, for it can significantly improve their ability to lift and perform other work-related physical tasks.

Use of opioid pain medications by workers with chronic low back pain can significantly improve their ability to lift and perform other work-related physical tasks, a new study has found.

For the study, a team of Canadian researchers evaluated 30 patients with chronic low back pain of more than six months duration.

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In the double-blinded, random-ordered, placebo-controlled trial, subjects performed a lifting test twice, once after receiving intravenous fentanyl and once after taking a placebo.

The objective of the study was to examine the impact of acute opioid administration on repetitive lifting and lowering exercise in workers with low-back pain.

The study showed that opioids improved lifting performance between 15 and 48 percent.

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The researchers concluded that the performance improvement was due to reduced pain intensity.

Pain reduction, as measured by pain scales, was indicative of clinically relevant analgesia achieved by the medication.

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However, the researchers suggest that longer trials are needed to measure the effectiveness of opioids as an adjunct to functional restoration programs for workers with low-back pain.

The study is published in The Journal of Pain, the peer review publication of the American Pain Society.

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