Systematic review: opioid treatment for chronic back pain: prevalence, efficacy, and association with addiction Free

B.A. Martell, P.G. O’Connor, R.D. Kerns, W.C. Becker, K.H. Morales, T.R. Kosten, D.A. FiellinAnnals of Internal Medicine2007Vol. 146pp. 116-127

This review concluded that opioids may be efficacious for short-term pain relief amongst people with chronic back pain, but long-term efficacy beyond 16 weeks is unclear. Substance use disorders are common in patients taking opioids for back pain. The authors’ conclusions did not really take the limitations of the data available into account, particularly in relation to substance use disorders.