The use of ultrasound to treat low back pain has no scientific foundation.

– ultrasounds are used routinely in the national health system, and the systematic review of all available scientific evidence recommends quit

– while you continue wasting public resources in financing useless technologies, there is no point threatening cuts in efficient benefits or raise formulas as the copayment

Madrid, 2011-December ultrasounds are often used for the treatment of disorders Musculoskeletal and, especially, low-back pain. In fact, 55% of care physicians primary Americans recommend them for their treatment, and use them 50% of physiotherapists in United Kingdom, 65% in the USA and 94% in Canada. In the national health system Spanish applied routinely, although there is no data that quantified its use.

A systematic review recently published by Spanish researchers in the main international scientific journal in the field of the spine, The Spine Journal, shows that the use of ultrasound for the treatment of low back pain has no scientific foundation. The review has focused on the use of the ultrasonic ” and the shock waves ” for the treatment of low back pain, and concludes that there is no scientific basis on the effectiveness of any of the two technologies.

The study has been made by researchers of the Kovacs Foundation, the University of León and the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, all of them belonging to the Spanish network of researchers on back problems. The authors did not have conflicts of interest and the review has been funded by entities without spirit of profit or relationship with the healthcare industry; 4% has been provided by the Fund for health research, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and the rest by the Kovacs Foundation, a private entity non-profit which is responsible for 90.5% of investment Spanish scientific research on the neck and back ailments.

Following the most rigorous methods established by the international scientific community, the authors detail discussed all studies to date to evaluate the ultrasonic and shock waves for the treatment of low back pain, and compendiaron their results. In conclusion, show that there is no scientific evidence that these techniques are better than placebo, and that its effect is even smaller than other treatments that have not proved to be effective. As the first author of the study, Prof. Dr. D. Jesus Seco, of the Institute of biomedicine (IBIOMED) of the University of León, the results of the review show that ultrasounds are useless for the acute patients as chronic, and both for those who have irradiated pain in the legs for those who do not have both. Thus, there are no cases of low back pain in which its clinical use is justified ”.

In fact, the scientific evidence show that public resources currently intended to finance this treatment in the national health system are being wasted, and the disadvantages caused to patients are not justified (medical visits, lost time, travel, costs, etc.).

For this reason, the authors recommend that the national health system stop cover immediately the ultrasound for the treatment of low back pain and allocate the resources thus freed to implement other technologies that have Yes proved to be effective, efficient and effective. This will improve the effectiveness of the treatment applied in the national health system, and the efficiency of public resources to meet them. As indicated by Dr. Francisco Kovacs, director of the Spanish network of researchers on back problems, and co-author of the systematic review in times of crisis, it is unacceptable that squandering of public resources in useless and technologies, before threatening formulas as the copaymentthey should stop squandering resources on ineffective procedures. Ultrasounds for back pain are a perfect example of this situation ”.

The authors of the systematic review are that the moratorium on the use of ultrasound for low back pain should be retained indefinitely, unless any future clinical trials of high-quality scientific advise another attitude.

Treatments are available which have not shown their efficacy, safety and efficiency

Now, apply more than 200 different types of treatment to patients with low back pain, including many non-pharmaceutical technologies. But most of these treatments have never proved to be effective, safe, effective or coste-efectivos, but its use has no scientific foundation and it is based on business strategies for the general public or the doctors, which raises ethical, clinical, and economic problems. As pointed out by Dr. D. Gerard Urrútia, co-author of the study and member of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, it is estimated that up to 30% of health spending squandering inefficient technologies or the inappropriate use of health technologies, applying them in cases where they are not indicated. This is dangerous for patients and economically unsustainable ”.

The authors of the review suggest that, to preserve the health of patients, the decision to use a treatment should be based on clinical studies on its effectiveness against a placebo procedure and its effectiveness compared with other treatments. Similarly, the decision to fund or continue funding treatment on the national health system should take into account, in addition, data on its cost-effectiveness and the results of the monitoring mechanisms post-implantación, that they allow to check whether its use is appropriate and allow to fine-tune specific cases in which it is indicated to apply it, because it really is effective.