Most treatments for low back pain simply do not work, an international team of scientists writing in The Lancet has warned. The condition is now the world’s leading cause of disability: an estimated 540 million people are affected and that number is growing as populations age.

But back pain is not properly understood, the scientists say, and is being widely mismanaged, with many patients prescribed aggressive treatments including spinal injections, powerful opioids and surgeries that are of “dubious benefit” and may in fact do harm. They advise that for most types of back pain, the best advice is simply to remain active and remain positive: a positive attitude and job satisfaction are some of the strongest indicators of whether back pain will turn into serious disability, they say. Current NHS guidelines recommend exercise and therapy. However, this not what patients always want to hear, putting doctors under pressure to offer them non-existent cures. Many patients are sent off for scans that lead to surgery – although in most cases, surgery is no more effective than non-invasive treatments and it risks leaving patients worse off. A third are prescribed potentially addictive opioid painkillers, but there is evidence that these can make back pain worse. (The Week 31 March 2018)

Yes, I agree.  I have had back pain for six months and so far nothing has worked.  The last thing you need are painkillers, especially opioids.  At best they simply disguise the pain, and temporarily at that. I suggest an exciting detective movie or reading the last ten years of postings on this blog.  At least the latter will give you to a nice long sleep.