According to a systematic review published in the "Journal of Orthopaedic Research", nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), NSAIDs plus Paracetamol, and myorelaxants were beneficial in reducing disability and pain in individuals with acute low back pain (LBP). This study assessed whether acute LBP pharmacological management can effectively minimize disability and pain, and aimed to determine which drugs exhibited the highest effectiveness.

This study was carried out in accordance with the 2020 PRISMA statement. Electronic databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were explored. An assessment of all the randomized controlled studies examining the effectiveness of Paracetamol, NSAIDs, and myorelaxants for acute LPB was done. Only research that focused on the lumbar spine was considered. The studies that dealt with individuals with acute LBP and symptoms lasting fewer than 12 weeks were incorporated.

Only individuals with nonspecific low back pain and who were older than 18 years of age were incorporated. Opioid usage in acute LBP studies was not taken into consideration.  Data were available from 3478 patients and 18 studies. At around one week, myorelaxants and NSAIDs were beneficial in lowering pain and impairment in acute LBP. Combination of NSAIDs and Paracetamol was linked with a higher improvement than the use of NSAIDs alone. However, Paracetamol alone did not elicit any remarkable improvement. Placebo was not efficacious in mitigating pain.