ACP: Non-Drug Tx Preferred for Low Back Pain Try exercise, mindfulness, acupuncture or yoga before NSAIDs

For patients with low back pain, providers should consider alternatives to drugs as first-line therapy, according to an updated clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP). Moderate-quality evidence in the literature shows that chronic pain can be eased with exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, and mindful stress reduction, according to Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, and colleagues on the ACP's Clinical Guidelines Committee, writing online in the Annals of Internal Medicine.. Similar results have been observed in lower-quality studies with tai chi, yoga, motor control exercise, progressive relaxation, electromyography biofeedback, laser therapy, operant therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and spinal manipulation, the panel determined. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PainManagement/BackPain/63108?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-02-14&eun=g721819d0r&pos=3