Published today in @bmj_latest Lumbar discectomy was superior to non-surgical treatment or epidural steroid injections in reducing leg pain and disability in people with sciatica in the short-term, but benefits reduced over time bmj.com/content/381/bmj-2022…

Dry needling is different to acupuncture. So what’s involved? And is it effective? theconversation.com/dry-need… via @ConversationEDU @giovanni_ef @PeterStubbsPT @msk_health

This therapy is thought to relax the muscle, reduce inflammation, promote healing and reduce pain. But what does the science say? @zadro_josh @giovanni_ef @PeterStubbsPT @Sydney_Uni @UTSEngage @westernsydneyu theconversation.com/dry-need…

1/2 Nail in the coffin of dichotomania: @ErikVanZwet 's paper with @stephensenn and myself just published: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/… with extended discussion at discourse.datamethods.org/t/… #Statistics #RCT #ClinicalTrial

Despite their frequent use, opioids have limited benefits in managing noncancer pain (seen in figure). For acute musculoskeletal pain, opioids have a small mean effect in reducing pain (a decrease of <10 points on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating no pain and 100 worst pain) relative to placebo in the first days, have no effect after the first week, and are probably associated with a small increase in pain after 12 weeks. On the basis of evidence with very low to moderate certainty, opioids have no effect on physical function. For chronic noncancer pain, opioids have a small effect on pain reduction relative to placebo in the short-to-medium term (seen in figure) and either a small effect or an effect similar to that with placebo on other clinical outcomes (e.g., physical function and quality of life). The effects of opioids relative to placebo for chronic pain beyond 6 months are unknown. The lack of evidence on the long-term benefits of opioids, the similar effectiveness of opioids and nonopioids on some pain conditions, and the dose-dependent relationship of opioid-related harm together suggest that avoiding long-term opioid use, reducing the opioid dose, or replacing opioids with nonopioid alternatives may reduce the risk of opioid-related harm. Learn more in the Clinical Practice article “Opioid Deprescribing in Patients with Noncancer Pain” by Chung-Wei Christine Lin, PhD, and Aili V. Langford, PhD: nej.md/4oL3fu2

Presented at #KidneyWk: In the PISCES trial involving participants receiving hemodialysis, fish oil (n−3 fatty acids) was compared with corn-oil placebo. The rate of serious cardiovascular events was lower with daily fish-oil supplementation. Full trial results: nej.md/49zWuqo Editorial: Fish Oil for Patients Receiving Hemodialysis — Red Herring or Great Catch? nej.md/49zWAOM @ASNKidney

The wait is over 🎉 Our ANZMUSC Scientific Meeting kicks off next week in Brisbane! Find all the helpful resources here: linktr.ee/anzmusc

Calling EMCRs in musculoskeletal research - Join us on the 7th of October! Info and registration: anzmusc.org/event/anzmusc-20…

The TARGET guideline has been published today in JAMA and the BMJ. We hope this guideline helps researchers report studies that use observational data to estimate effects of interventions. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam… bmj.com/content/390/bmj-2025… @UNSWMedicine @neuraustralia

Agreement between high-quality clinical practice guidelines in their treatment recommendations for low back pain: a systematic review pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4063…

Great to see our study evaluating the smallest worthwhile effect of surgery versus non-surgical treatment for sciatica featured in @JPhysiother special collection! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4012…

Agreement between high-quality clinical practice guidelines in their treatment recommendations for low back pain: a systematic review - The Spine Journal thespinejournalonline.com/ar…

Joining us at the ANZMUSC Scientific Meeting in Brisbane (7th-9th October)? Good news - we’ve extended the deadline for our Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Rapid-Fire Showcase abstract submissions. Apply here: tinyurl.com/4vzk329j by the 20th August.

🚨 New in @JOSPT: jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.… People strongly value physical therapies for LBP over doing nothing, even when effects are very small! 📑Clinicians should engage in SDM that goes beyond treatment type. ❓Fertile environment for overtreatment and low-value care?

Patients want a diagnosis - but how we label MSK pain matters. Martin et al. ✅ Non-specific labels = less fear, more openness to non-invasive care ⚠️ But they need a clear explanation to avoid confusion. Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2025… @zadro_josh @giovanni_ef @MaryOKeeffe007

New paper just out on default #nudges to reduce overuse of tests and treatments. Logical intervention, but current evidence suggests inconsistent effects. Excellent work by @msk_health PhD candidate @GemmaAltinger with international team🔥 qualitysafety.bmj.com/conten…

Hello! 🔥NEW PAPER out today in @JAMANetworkOpen . RCT in 1080 people seeking care for #BackPain. Should we give advice, or give options? Bravo @longtinchris & Jeremy R Chang Thanks @pain_neura @msk_health and stellar team

Contrary to guidelines, patients with low back pain prefer facts, not advice.

Thrilled to see our work published in @JAMANetworkOpen! RCT with 1,080 people seeking care for #BackPain: Advice vs treatment options—what better prepares patients for shared decision-making? Huge thanks to @adrian_traeger for the mentorship!

HOT OFF THE PRESS - OPEN ACCESS SUMMARY:Patients have a strong desire for a diagnosis and may prefer specific diagnostic labels, but these can lead to patient harm. Non-specific labels, while less threatening, require clear explanations to avoid confusion. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4057…