title: Low back pain.
abstract: Low back pain is a frequent medical complaint that is often the result of a conflict between a compressed or degenerated disc and the inflamed nerve root. The discoradicular conflict is best treated with dual modality therapy: mechanical treatment to relieve disc compression and anti-inflammatory treatment for the congested root. Almost all cases of acute low back pain can be treated with conservative therapy, including the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and surgery should be used only as a last resort. Results of a study comparing oral administration of piroxicam with indomethacin and diclofenac for reduction of spontaneous low back pain indicated that the three drugs are nearly identical in efficacy. In other investigations, intramuscular piroxicam (one injection of 40 mg/d for two days, then 20 mg/d) performed favorably in terms of pain relief and tolerance as compared with higher doses of intramuscular ketoprofen and diclofenac administered in two daily doses.
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001416:Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D004008:Diclofenac / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007660:Ketoprofen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010894:Piroxicam / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010894:Piroxicam; D004008:Diclofenac; D007660:Ketoprofen