Oral NSAIDs

(eg. Naproxen or Celecoxib)
18%

Improve with treatment

40%

Improve with control

42%

Do not Improve

What does improve mean?

An example of a 30% reduction in pain scores is a decrease from 6 to 4 on a 10 point pain scale

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

How many people will improve?

58%

Improvement by treatment or placebo

42%

No Improvement

Oral NSAIDs Harms

People with at least 1 Adverse Event
35%
24% (placebo)
Withdrawal Due to Adverse Events (Not Significant)
3.7%
3.1% (placebo)
Any Adverse Event (Not Significant)
61.4%
65.9% (placebo)

Other Considerations

  • Consider naproxen or ibuprofen. Diclofenac may have a higher risk for cardiovascular events.
  • Approximate cost (CAD) for 30-day supply: Naproxen $15-30, Celexcoib $20-30

Looking for further details?

Low Back Pain

Why doesn’t this calculator cover all treatment options available?

This online calculator does not cover all treatment options available for low back pain. We only included the medication treatments that had the highest quality evidence. A healthcare provider may consider other options not listed in this calculator to manage symptoms, depending on specific needs.

Where can I find the evidence used to create this calculator?

The data used for this calculator can be found within the Chronic Back Pain Systematic Review

Additional tools created with this data can be found at Chronic Low Back Pain Decision Aid