MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For decades, emergency room staff often gave Valium to patients for an acute bout of bad lower back pain.
But a new head-to-head trial in an ER environment casts doubt on the notion that Valium or potent painkillers can really help.
As reported Feb. 22 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, the trial found that Aleve (naproxen) and a "dummy" placebo pill were as effective as naproxen plus Valium (diazepam) in treating ER patients with acute lower back pain.
"Our study contributes to the growing body of literature indicating that, in general, most medications do not improve acute lower back pain," lead researcher Dr.
