Acetaminophen, which is also sold as Paracetamol, Tylenol, Brufen and with many other names has been proven to be not that as effective in resolving back pain as it usually recommended for.

According to a new study, funded by the Australian government and GlaxoSmithKline Australia , Australian researchers assigned more than 1,600 people with acute lower back pain to either Paracetamol — to a maximum dose of 4,000 mg per day — or a placebo. They found no major difference in the time it took people to recover: Those on paracetamol got better after 17 days while those who took dummy pills recovered after 16 days.  The back pain which was a result of lack of exercise , bad posture and strain  showed that the medicine hardly had any effect and it was more of how physically  active the person was which helped in reducing the pain.

“We know exercise helps so people should stay as active as possible,” said Chris Mercer, a physical therapist specializing in back pain and spokesman for Britain’s Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. ”

So instead of painkillers start exercising, stretching or try the physio therapy to reduce back pain.