Why carry out this study?

Acute low back pain (LBP) stands as a leading cause of disability, and its associated healthcare expenditures become substantial when acute LBP develops into a chronic and even refractory condition.

Current guideline treatment recommendations vary and are mostly driven by expertise with opinion differing across different interventions.

It is difficult to formulate evidence-based guidance when the relatively few randomized clinical trials have explored the diagnosis and management of LBP while employing different selection criteria, statistical analyses, and outcome measurements.

What was learned from the study?

Early intervention is crucial to prevent progression of acute to chronic pain, for which management is particularly challenging and the most effective pharmacological therapy is still controversial.

It is paramount to better align practice with the evidence and to place greater efforts to facilitate the implementation of interventions able to ease the patient management burden, both from the physician’s and patient’s perspective.

Multimodal analgesia stands as the way forward to attain an effective and prolonged pain relief and functional recovery in patients with acute LBP.