Can muscle relaxants assist with low back pain recovery?
A patient presenting with acute back pain poses a treatment dilemma
2nd September 2018
Harry, a 55-year-old hospital cleaner, saw me with acute low back pain after lifting a heavy bag of linen.
I recalled reading that skeletal muscle relaxants might be helpful in acute low back pain.
Another of my patients had been prescribed orphenadrine citrate in the emergency department for the same indication.
It’s one of the few non-benzodiazepine muscle relaxants available in Australia.
I wondered if this would be a good option for Harry. What is the evidence?
Clinical question