PACE--the first placebo controlled trial of paracetamol for acute low back pain: design of a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Clinical practice guidelines recommend that the initial treatment of acute low back pain (LBP) should consist of advice to stay active and regular simple analgesics such as paracetamol 4 g daily. Despite this recommendation in all international LBP guidelines there are no placebo controlled trials assessing the efficacy of paracetamol for LBP at any dose or dose regimen. This study aims to determine whether 4 g of paracetamol daily (in divided doses) results in a more rapid recovery from acute LBP than placebo. A secondary aim is to determine if ingesting paracetamol in a time-contingent manner is more effective than paracetamol taken when required (PRN) for recovery from acute LBP.

Methods/design

The study is a randomised double dummy placebo controlled trial. 16

SUBMITTER: Williams CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2918542 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature