[Efficacy and safety of comfrey root extract ointment in the treatment of acute upper or lower back pain: results of a double blind randomised placebo controlled multicentre trial Online First Br J Sports Med 2009; doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2009.

The American Pain Society has issued a new clinical practice guideline for low-back pain that emphasizes noninvasive treatments over interventional procedures, and shared decision making between provider and patient. The guideline, based on a review of 3,348 abstracts and 161 clinical trials provides clinicians with eight recommendations to help determine the best way to treat patients with low-back pain.

Three types of acupuncture therapy — an individually tailored program, standard therapy and a simulation involving toothpicks at key acupuncture points — appear more effective than usual care for chronic low back pain, according to a new article.

LITTLE FALLS, N.J. (MedPage Today) — Patients with chronic low-back pain should undergo interdisciplinary rehabilitation before clinicians try more invasive treatments, according to new guidelines from the American Pain Society (APS).

SAN DIEGO (MedPage Today) — Long-acting tapentadol, an experimental opioid, appears to relieve chronic low back pain more effectively than placebo, company researchers said here.

Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest randomized trial of its kind, published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. But the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) trial raises questions about how the ancient practice actually works.

WHEELING, W.Va. (MedPage Today) — Acupuncture was more effective than conventional treatment for relieving lower back pain in a randomized trial, but performed no better than poking patients gently with toothpicks.

Spondylarthritis represents a group of arthritidies that share clinical features such as inflammatory back pain and inflammation at sites where tendons attach to bone.

New guidance for employers, patients and doctors on helping people with back pain return to work will be announced on Tuesday May 5 at the University of Leicester. It is estimated that it costs society in excess of £12 billion a year with people taking time off work because of back pain.

Four out of five Australians will suffer from back pain with one in 10 experiencing significant disability according to a report in the Medical Journal of Australia.