Use Turmeric for Back Pain Nicole Nicole Healthy Joints Aug 14, 2018
Turmeric isn't just a delicious cooking spice; it has been used in traditional Indian medicine for generations. More recently, however, turmeric has started to enter the mainstream. Ever more people have been discovering the potential benefits of taking turmeric for a range of different conditions.
In this article we'll delve into the science behind the use of turmeric for back pain. We'll discuss whether research confirms this effect, the dosage shown to have a beneficial impact, and any side effects that you should look out for.
How to Use Turmeric for Back Pain
How to Use Turmeric for Back Pain Nicole Nicole Healthy Joints Aug 14, 2018
Turmeric isn't just a delicious cooking spice; it has been used in traditional Indian medicine for generations. More recently, however, turmeric has started to enter the mainstream. Ever more people have been discovering the potential benefits of taking turmeric for a range of different conditions.
In this article we'll delve into the science behind the use of turmeric for back pain. We'll discuss whether research confirms this effect, the dosage shown to have a beneficial impact, and any side effects that you should look out for.
The Most Common Causes of Back Pain
Back pain is currently estimated to be the single most common cause of disability in the UK, and the second most common in North America. This has led some authors to refer to back issues as an “epidemic”, particularly as the number of affected individuals seems to be on the rise.
Part of the problem with back pain is that it can have many different causes, and identifying these can be challenging, even for medical professionals. What we can say, however, is that the most common cause of back problems seems to be muscle or ligament damage.
Torn or pulled tissue can become inflamed, leading to pain and a reduced range of movement. Historically, turmeric (together with its active ingredient “curcumin”) has been known for its anti-inflammatory properties. But do these ingredients really work - and can they help the muscle tissue damage associated with back pain?
The Science Behind Turmeric for Back Pain
One of the most common inflammatory diseases is rheumatoid arthritis (often shortened to just “RA”), in which joint cartilage is affected. While this is most commonly experienced in the fingers, RA has the potential to affect almost any joint in the body.
In order to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, a study was carried out on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. They were either prescribed a standard pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory, the active ingredient in turmeric known as curcumin, or a combination of the two.
With ongoing monitoring of their condition, it was noted that all three groups saw significant improvements.
Perhaps rather more interestingly, however, the results showed that “the curcumin group showed the highest percentage of improvement”, even more than those taking the standard anti-inflammatory.
If, as this research suggests, turmeric can be a more powerful anti-inflammatory than some traditional pharmaceuticals then it really is an impressive result.
Of course, these exact same properties can impact other cases of inflammation too, such as seen in cases of back pain. Another study examined the inflammation that can arise after intense exercise, such as marathon runs. In this instance, participants ran downhill as far as they possibly could before getting fatigued.
It is well-known that such exercises place additional strain on the knees and ankles, so inflammation is an expected consequence. Interestingly, those who took a turmeric supplement beforehand experienced a statistically significant improvement over those taking no supplement.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning a wide-ranging investigation which pooled the results from numerous other turmeric experiments. Doing so allowed the experts to draw far broader and more significant conclusions than any single test could hope to do. They found that even this wealth of data, garnered from a range of different studies, painted a pretty conclusive picture, and that their results “provide scientific evidence that supports the efficacy of turmeric extract” on inflammation.
Under the assumption that your bad back is being caused, at least in part, by inflammation, this evidence supports the use of turmeric as an effective potential solution.
Is Taking Turmeric for Back Pain Safe?
Turmeric has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes for centuries. During this time, no issues have been observed from long-term use. That said, many studies have used considerably higher doses to get a beneficial effect than are typically used in cookery. The real question is therefore whether consuming large doses of turmeric is likely to cause issues?
Five different studies in recent years have used doses of between 1125mg and 2500mg over an extended period of time, without noting any issues. Even more extreme, one particular study gave participants an astonishing 8000mg of turmeric per day for a period of three months. Once again, no symptoms of toxicity were observed.
Consequently, turmeric is well-respected within scientific circles for its high safety profile, and even in large doses or when taken over a long period of time the side effects are largely on par with volunteers taking a placebo.
How Much Turmeric Should Be Taken for Back Pain?
Turmeric may have shown in rigorous studies to positive influence cases of inflammation, but there is an issue.
