Consuming non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen, to treat your back pain may provide little benefit, but can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding, reveals a new study.
The results found that patients taking anti-inflammatory drugs were 2.5 times more likely to suffer from gastro-intestinal problems such as stomach ulcers and bleeding.
The findings, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, revealed that only one in six patients treated with the pills, also known as NSAIDs, achieve any significant reduction in pain.
The study is the latest work from The George Institute questioning the effectiveness of existing medicines for treating back pain.
Lead author Manuela Ferreira from the University of Sydney said the study highlights an urgent need to develop new therapies to treat back pain which affects 80 percent of Australians during their lifetime.