The gain on long-term back pain was 3.3 points out of 100
In six placebo-controlled trials of non-specific chronic low back pain, disability moved 0.85 points on a 0 to 24 scale. In the better-run trials the pain gap narrowed further still.
What the study found
Chronic back pain moved 3.3 points on a 0 to 100 scale
The difference is real and it is small. In six placebo-controlled trials of non-specific chronic low back pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs moved disability by 0.85 points on a 0 to 24 scale, and restricted to the better-run trials the pain gap narrowed further still.
The caveat · Median follow-up just 56 days
Median follow-up was 56 days, far too short to pick up the harms that build with long-term use, and the review says outright that it cannot make firm statements about safety. The reported adverse-event ratio of 1.04 almost certainly understates real-world harm for the same reason. Only English, German and Dutch language trials were eligible. No individual drug in the class outperformed another.