At Mercola.com, frequent contributor A Midwestern Doctor discusses the dangers of NSAIDs for treating back pain. He writes:

Story at-a-glance

• Spinal pain affects millions despite over $134 billion spent annually in the USA alone, with most patients remaining stuck in chronic pain cycles due to treatments that address symptoms rather than root causes
• Common pain generators are frequently missed, including weak ligaments, tight muscles, structural misalignments, trapped emotions, and inflammatory conditions — leaving patients to cycle through increasingly dangerous interventions without addressing underlying issues
• Conventional medications create more problems than they solve — NSAIDs are the leading cause of drug-related hospital admissions, Tylenol causes 56,000 ER visits annually from toxicity, and Gabapentin provides minimal benefit while causing cognitive effects such as drowsiness
• Corticosteroids, despite being “wonder drugs,” cause devastating long-term damage, including 5% to 15% yearly bone loss, 70% weight gain rates, and dramatic increases in heart attacks (226%), heart failure (272%), and strokes (73%)
• Spinal surgeries remain highly profitable but questionable in effectiveness, with significant risks that patients often don’t learn about until after complications occur, and no ability to “undo” surgical damage

Most patients with chronic pain will typically first be recommended a variety of pain medications and physical therapy, then once those fail, steroid injections, and then a joint surgery.

Unfortunately, each step in this process is often ineffective at addressing the patient’s pain or creates a variety of complications that make their situation even more unbearable. For this reason, it is critical to understand the risks of each part of this process and the safer alternatives that can permanently alleviate joint and spinal pain.

Note: Persistent or recurrent pain after spinal surgery, back pain following spinal surgery is referred to as “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome” and affects between 10% to 40% of people who receive a spinal surgery.

Read more here.