Back Pain

Backaches are usually caused by muscle weakness in the muscles of the back.  Back pain is the fifth most frequent reason for doctor visits and 80% of adults experience back pain at some point in their life.

There are several underlying causes of back pain including:

· Arthritis or arthritis-like changes in the spine that occur as a result of wear and tear.

· Calcium deposits (spurs) that develop as a result of stress on the spine.

· Slipped discs (ruptured discs, disc herniation).

· Misalignments in the spinal joints or the sacroiliac joint that connects the backbone to  the hip bone.  These misalignments can occur as a result of childbirth, bad posture, accidents or a sedentary lifestyle.

· Allergies.  During allergic reactions, large amounts of histamine are released from immune system cells named mast cells.  This histamine release can result in the sore back muscles that cause backache.

· Dehydration.

· Repetitive strain injuries involving trauma to the body’s tissues.  These minor injuries often accumulate over the years and are generally related to repetitive movements at work such as lifting, twisting or pulling.  Running or jogging can also cause these repetitive minor injuries.

The following are suggested therapies that may treat back pain:

Bovine Cartilage:

Rationale:

Bovine cartilage is effective for the treatment of lower back pain.

In a recent study bovine cartilage was compared with manganese sulfate for the treatment of lower back pain.  Manganese sulfate caused an increase in lower back strength of 7%.  Bovine cartilage resulted in an increase in lower back strength of 66%.  When bovine cartilage was added to a range of other therapeutic nutrients it caused an increase in lower back strength of 258%.  The adjunctive nutrients were mesencchymal protein, vitamin B5, vitamin C, pepsin, sulfur (as sulfates), copper, zinc, silicon and manganese.

Dosage:

9,000 mg per day.

Vitamin D:

Rationale:

A recent study found that 83% of lower back pain sufferers of six months or longer duration had abnormally low vitamin D levels.  Vitamin D supplementation cured back pain in all of this group.

Dosage:

400 – 1,000 IU per day.

Alternatives:

Cod Liver Oil contains very high amounts of vitamin D.

Vitamin B12:

Rationale:

A clinical study found that intramuscular injections of high-dose vitamin B12 effectively eliminated lower back pain.  Some experts speculate that oral vitamin B12 may also be effective.

Dosage:

6,000 mcg (6 mg) per day.

MSM:
(Methylsulfonylmethane)

Rationale:

MSM has been successfully prescribed by a large number of naturopaths and chiropractors for the treatment of back pain.  Although MSM cannot reduce the size of protruding intervertebral disks or remove the underlying cause of back pain, it can (and does) relieve the inflammation around damaged intervertebral disks.  Inflammation around damaged intervertebral disks compresses and irritates the nerves of the spinal cord and this causes back pain.  MSM is usually found to be useful for back pain associated with osteoarthritis, lumbar stenosis, disk degeneration, spinal misalignment and accidents.  In addition, MSM inhibits the transmission of the nerve impulses associated with pain and reduces muscle spasms.

Dosage:

Higher than usual doses of MSM are usually required in order to obtain relief from back pain - generally in the range of 10,000 - 20,000 mg per day.

Vitamin C:

Rationale:

Some doctors report that their back pain patients benefit from vitamin C supplements.  The usefulness of vitamin C for back pain is likely to be related to its role as an essential nutrient for the production of collagen - collagen is required for the structural integrity of the intervertebral disks of the back.

A clinical study found that vitamin C reduces back pain by approximately 50% and reduces the need for surgery in persons with lower back pain related to damaged intervertebral disks.

Dosage:

1,000 - 3,000 mg per day.

Digestive Enzymes:

Rationale

The enzymes chymotrypsin and trypsin have been found to successfully treat the sciatica (leg pain) that occurs in some patients with back pain.

Dosage:

Eight tablets per day of tablets containing a 6:1 ratio of trypsin:chymotrypsin.  Each tablet should provide enzyme activity of 100,000 A.U. for a total of 800,000 A.U. per day.

The dosage may be reduced to four tablets per day after two to three days.

Devil’s Claw:

Rationale:

Three clinical trials have shown that the herb devil’s claw relieves the pain in back pain sufferers when used for at least eight weeks.  One of these studies found it to be more effective than pharmaceutical COX-2 inhibitors.

Devil’s Claw’s effectiveness is attributable to a component named harpagoside, which exerts analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Dosage:

600 – 1,200 mg (providing 50 – 100 mg of the active constituent – harpagoside) per day

Willow bark:

Rationale:

Willow bark contains a compound named salicin that is very similar to aspirin.

In a clinical study involving patients with back pain, willow bark extract caused pain-relieving effects within one week.  After five weeks, 39% of subjects were free of back pain.

Dosage:

1,600 mg per day of willow bark capsules standardized to contain 15% of the active ingredient, salicin.

DL-Phenylalanine:

Rationale:

DL-phenylalanine functions as a painkiller for patients with back pain.

Researchers at the Chicago Medical School found that DL-phenylalanine blocked pain in 70% subjects.  The painkilling action increased with time.  Standard pharmaceutical analgesics tend to become less effective over time, as the body grows accustomed to them, but DL-phenylalanine was actually more effective on the ninth day than it was on the first.

Dosage:

1,000 – 2,250 mg per day.

Molybdenum:

Rationale:

Molybdenum has been found to alleviate some cases of back pain.

Dosage:

400 - 500 mcg (0.4 - 0.5 mg) per day.

Vitamin A:

Rationale:

There is very limited evidence that vitamin A may alleviate some cases of back pain.

Dosage:

10,000 - 50,000 IU per day.

Lifestyle Changes to Assist the Prevention of Back Pain

Water:

Dehydration may be the underlying cause of some cases of back pain.  Rehydration via the consumption of adequate amounts of water (2 liters per day) may therefore be useful.

References

Bovine Cartilage

· Walker, M.  A “new treatment for easing chronic joint pain.  Healthy & Natural Journal.  February/March 1996:24-26.

Devil’s Claw

· Chrubasik, S., et al.  Effectiveness of Harpagophytum extract WS 1531 in the treatment of exacerbation of low back pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind study.  Eur J Anaesthes.  16:118-291, 1999.

Digestive Enzymes

· Gaspardy, G., et al.  Treatment of sciatica due to intervertebral disc herniation with Chymoral tablets.  Rheum Phys Med.  11:14–19, 1971.

DL-Phenylalanine

· Budd, K.  Use of D-phenylalanine, an enkephalinase inhibitor, in the treatment of intractable pain.  Advances in Pain Research and Therapy.  5:305, 1983.

Molybdenum

· Moss, M. A.  Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine.  5(1):56-61, 1995.

Vitamin B12

· Mauro, G. L., et al.  Vitamin B12 in low back pain: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study.  Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci.  4(3):53-8, 2000.

Vitamin C

· Greenwood, J., Jr.  Optimum vitamin C intake as a factor in the preservation of disc integrity.  Med Ann Dist Columbia.  33:274-276, 1964.

Vitamin D

· Al Faraj, S., et al.  Vitamin D deficiency and chronic low back pain in Saudi Arabia.  Spine.  28(2):177-179, 2003.

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