Scientists have found the widely used over-the-counter painkiller is no better than a dummy sugar pill for relieving sufferers’ agony. Instead, people should turn to heat packs, keep as

active as possible and avoid bed rest to cure their bad back. The Australian study of more than 1,500 patients, published in the Lancet, found that patients given paracetamol recovered no

more quickly than those given a placebo. Dr Christopher Williams, of the George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney, who led the research, said: “We need to reconsider

the universal recommendation to provide paracetamol as a first-line treatment for low-back pain.” The finding comes amid increasing evidence that people could be putting themselves at risk