Tylenol May Not Relieve New Back Pain

Though it’s used widely for many kinds of pain, acetaminophen (Tylenol and generics) may not help new back pain, a study suggests. The study included 1,650 adults with new pain in the lower back. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. One group got usual doses of paracetamol for up to 4 weeks. That’s the name for acetaminophen in Australia, where the study was done. A second group received identical placebo (fake) pills. A third group got some of each. On average, people in all groups felt better in just over 2 weeks. There were no differences among the groups in pain, sleep problems, disability or quality of life. The journal Lancet published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it July 23.