Nonsurgical interventions for low back pain

A variety of nonoperative interventions are available to treat back pain. Careful assessment, discussion, and planning need to be performed to individualize care to each patient. This article discusses good to fair evidence from randomized controlled trials that injection therapy, percutaneous intradiscal radiofrequency thermocoagulation, intradiscal electrothermal therapy, and prolotherapy are not effective. Evidence is poor from randomized controlled trials regarding local injections, Botox, and coblation nucleoplasty; however, with a focused approach, the right treatment can be provided for the right patient. To be more effective in management of back pain, further high-grade randomized controlled trials on efficacy and safety are needed.