Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Poly-Herbal Formula Sahatsatara for Acute Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of poly-herbal formula Sahatsatara (SHT) in pain reduction in acute low back pain (LBP) patients. Methods: Twenty-nine patients aged 18-65 years with a history of moderate to severe acute LBP ≤3-day (score ≥4 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale [NRS]) were enrolled and randomized to receive an ibuprofen (400 mg after meals three times daily) or SHT (1,350 mg before meals three times daily) for 7 days. The non-inferiority trial margin was set at ±10 percentage points. The outcomes were measured on pain intensity on the 0-10 NRS, disability on the Thai version of the Oswestry disability index [ODI], total analgesic consumption, patient satisfaction, and safety. Results: Fourteen patients and 15 patients were randomly allocated to ibuprofen and SHT groups, respectively. The mean difference in pain intensity and disability between the two groups at day 7 adjusted according to baseline was within ±1 for pain (-0.3; 95% CI, -1.48 to 0.96) and ±10% (-4.9%; 95% CI, -14.86% to 5.02%) for the NRS and ODI scores, respectively. One patient in the SHT group and 5 in the ibuprofen group had gastrointestinal irritation, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: SHT was not inferior to ibuprofen in pain relieving and disability in patients with acute LBP. The result suggests a role for SHT as an alternative analgesic in acute LBP. (Thai Clinical Trials Registry number 20141027001) Keywords: Acute low back pain, poly-herbal formula Sahatsatara, ibuprofe