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We would like to express our congratulations to Sharifi et al for their recently published randomised, double-blinded clinical trial comparing methocarbamol to diazepam in the treatment of acute back pain in the ED.1 Although skeletal muscle relaxants (SMR) are frequently (and controversially) used in the treatment of low back pain (LBP), there has been a paucity of data to suggest their clinical benefit.2 To our knowledge, this is one of the first investigations that demonstrates the efficacy of both methocarbamol and diazepam for the treatment of LBP in an acute care setting. Given the clinical challenges of treating …
Footnotes
Handling editor David Metcalfe
Contributors All listed authors (TDK, JBL, JCO) meaningfully contributed to the conception, drafting and revision of this correspondence.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests JCO is on the steering committee for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the transition of care advisory board for Salix Pharmaceuticals.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.