34 medical groups demand BMJ retract ‘irresponsible’ and ‘misleading’ guideline on chronic spine pain
Professor Michael Vagg said the BMJ analysis had some strengths, but the guideline needed input from expert doctors.
More than 30 pain medicine societies are calling on The BMJ to retract a clinical practice guideline that advises against interventional procedures for chronic spine pain.
The guideline, part of the BMJ Rapid Recommendations series, recommends that procedures such as epidural injections of anaesthetic or steroids should not be offered to adults with chronic axial or radicular spine pain that is not associated with cancer or inflammatory arthropathy, outside of clinical trials.
