Back pain study finds Tylenol useless. A study on back pain by Australian scientists found that taking acetaminophen such as Tylenol is no more effective than a placebo. The study which surprised the medical world, more or less revealed that the best remedy for back pain sufferers is to stay active and be healthy.
Tylenol does not work according to a new study on back pain that was published this week by Australian scientists.
A handful of doctors gathered 1,600 acute back pain sufferers and divided them into 3 groups (acute back pain lasts about 1 month and hits people between the ages of 30 and 50).
The first group was given Acetaminophen, a drug found in Tylenol three times a day.
While the second group was allowed to take Tylenol when ever they needed.
And the third and last group was given a placebo – which is a pill that looked like a Tylenol capsule but contained no medication at all.
The researchers monitored the individuals battling acute lower-back pain for 17 days and asked them to grade their pain on a scale of 0 to 10 everyday and the results were shocking.
It was revealed that all 1,600 participants more or less experienced the same level of pain on a daily basis, which lead to the conclusion that Tylenol, the number one prescribed drug to treat back problems is no more effective than a dummy pill.
The group taking acetaminophen said the medication was not able to reduce the pain nor improve their ability to get around to do daily chores like vacuuming or getting in and out of a car.
So what are those suffering with back pain supposed do to?
Most doctors say that being active, bed rest is not a good idea, massage, acupuncture and therapy are the best remedies for the pain.
Tylenol is still considered effective for other acute pains such as tooth pain and post surgery pain.
