Forget paracetamol for low back pain

Paracetamol is useless for treating low back pain, according to an Australian study that compares its effectiveness with a placebo.

It neither speeds up recovery nor reduces discomfort, say the researchers, who acknowledge they did not expect their findings.

“We did find it very surprising because paracetamol is universally recommended for acute low back pain and is shown to be effective in other acute pain conditions,”  senior researcher, Associate Professor Christine Lin tells