We answer some questions you may have if you’re affected by pain and discomfort in your lower back which has no identifiable cause (it’s ‘non-specific’) and has lasted longer than 3 months (it’s ‘chronic’). On this page, we look at the potential benefits and harms of various non-invasive, non-surgical treatment options. The answers are based on the latest trustworthy evidence from Cochrane and NHS advice.
Musculoskeletal
Managing osteoarthritis: evidence and guidance
Sarah Chapman looks at Cochrane evidence and NICE guidance on managing osteoarthritis
Is yoga good for back pain? Here’s the evidence
Jack Leahy writes about his experience of practicing yoga and the latest Cochrane evidence on yoga for people with chronic non-specific low back pain
Running shoes and lower limb running injuries in adults
In a blog for people who run for exercise, Dr Rebecca Gould, Cochrane UK Fellow and Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrar, looks at the evidence on the role of running shoes for preventing lower limb running injuries
After hip fracture: how best to help people get back on their feet
Hip fracture is a common injury, but do we have reliable evidence to guide care and rehabilitation?
Hip protectors: can they help break your fall and not your hip?
Can hip protectors prevent fractures in older people? We look at the evidence.
Kinesio taping – should we stick with it?
In this blog for people with musculoskeletal problems, Dr Rebecca Gould, Cochrane UK Fellow and Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrar looks at the latest evidence for kinesio taping. Can some complementary treatments for musculoskeletal problems have unintended consequences?
Wrist fractures in children: how are they best treated?
Lynda Ware looks at evidence and practice for different treatments for wrist fractures in children.
Biologics for treating arthritis: are they the greatest advance this century?
In this blog for people with severe arthritis Robert Walton, Senior Fellow in General Practice at Cochrane UK and a very general practitioner, examines Cochrane evidence about biologics, a new generation of drugs to help people with this disabling long term condition.
Idiopathic toe walking in children: what’s the evidence for interventions?
Siobhan McCormack blogs Cochrane evidence on treatments for idiopathic toe walking
TNF inhibitors in Rheumatoid Arthritis: is dose reduction safe and effective for all?
Professor Paul Bowness, Consultant Rheumatologist in Oxford UK, discusses the implications of Cochrane evidence on down-titration and discontinuation of TNFi therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Exercise prevents falls in older people – but will any type of exercise do?
Cochrane Co-ordinating Editor and review author Helen Handoll talks about new evidence that exercise prevents falls in older people and what it might mean for her mother and others like her.