Back pain Placebos reduce pain in any case

Study examines the effects of placebos on chronic low back pain
The use of placebos can seem to be very effective against pain. Researchers now found that pain relief occurs even when the patient is aware that it is a placebo.

The scientists from the ISPA Instituto Universitário in Lisbon found in an investigation that it makes no difference in pain, whether patients consciously take placebos. The positive effect for pain relief is still preserved. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Pain".

Normally, patients are not known to take placebos instead of regular medications. One study now looked at the effects of chronic back pain when people consciously take placebos. (Image: alexlmx / fotolia.com)

Study: Subjects deliberately take placebos
The Portuguese researchers recruited 83 people with chronic back pain for their study. They explained to all participants that placebos are an inactive substance that contains no medications and is similar to a sugar pill. Then, randomly selected patients received either normal analgesic treatment or placebo treatment, say the authors. The pills were issued in a prescription drug bottle labeled "Placebo Pills - Take Two Pills Twice a Day," the experts add.

Results in normally treated patients
At the beginning and end of the three-week study, patients completed questionnaires describing pain intensity and degree of disability from their pain. The normally treated subjects group showed an average reduction of the usual pain by 9 percent, explain the physicians. In addition, a 16% reduction in maximum pain was observed among patients in this group.

Results of the placebo-treated group
The placebo group showed an average reduction in usual and maximum pain of about 30 percent. In addition, patients in this group reported a 29 percent reduction in disability due to the presence of back pain. The normally treated patients could not detect such an effect, explain the scientists.

Mechanisms behind the effect are extremely complex
The author Cláudia Carvalho from the ISPA Instituto Universitário in Lisbon said that the underlying mechanism is extremely complex. This includes, for example, the empathetic and trusting relationship between the doctor and his patients and so-called medical rituals, which are part of a therapeutic treatment. In addition, the positive expectation and the generation of hope for the improvement of the pain is very important, adds the physician. (As)