Common Supplements No Better Than Placebo for Joint Pain

There have been a few recent studies debunking the effectiveness of the commonly recommended supplement glucosamine. In August, we wrote about a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found glucosamine provided no additional pain relief to patients with lower back pain (view article via one of our client site, Dr. Mark Surles, a chiropractor in Brewton, Alabama).

Now a second study, published in the British Medical Journal, questions the use of both glucosamine and chondroitin for patients with joint pain. Researchers reviewed the results of trials conducted at Switzerland’s Bern University on 3,800 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. They found the two supplements, used singly or together, offered no greater pain relief than a placebo.

What does help relieve knee and hip pain? As we reported earlier this month, a preliminary study of patients waiting for arthroplasty found that chiropractic treatment during the waiting period helped significantly decrease pain levels. You can an article on this study through Dr. Diane Bottary  in New Bedford, Massachusetts.