Natural Supplements for Joint & Back Pain

Joint and back pain constitute a significant portion of all musculoskeletal health complaints. According to the Sports Injury Clinic website, one of the most common causes of both joint and back pain is facet syndrome, or a problem with your facet joints -- the joints that allow you to bend and twist your spine. Natural nutritional supplements are commonly used to treat joint and back pain, although it is always wise to talk with your family doctor before using these substances.

Joint and Back Pain

Back pain, though common and sometimes debilitating, can usually be treated with natural treatment methods or prevented by avoiding exercises that strain your back muscles, lead to improper posture or require heavy lifting. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, exercise, including abdominal muscle strengthening exercises, are often helpful for treating back pain. Joint pain is a common symptom associated with arthritic conditions, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and gout.

Natural Supplements

There are many natural supplements that may reduce both joint and back pain. Nutrition expert Phyllis A. Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," says that important nutritional supplements for back pain include calcium and magnesium with vitamin D; DL-phenylalanine; a multivitamin and mineral complex with vitamin A and beta-carotene; silica, vitamin B12 and zinc plus copper. Helpful nutritional supplements for joint pain include bromelain, essential fatty acids, MSM, CMO, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate and pregnenolone.

An Effective Supplement

Essential fatty acids are an effective nutritional supplement for treating both joint and back pain. Essential fatty acids, reports Balch, are the building blocks of which fats and oils are composed. Essential fatty acids are fatty acids that are necessary for optimal health and well being and cannot be made by your body. Essential fatty acids are required for muscle repair and to increase the production and activity of anti-inflammatory substances that help control joint pain and inflammation.

Caution

Nutritional supplements are commonly used as either a stand alone or adjunct therapy in the treatment of numerous health problems. Should you be considering using nutritional supplements to treat your health problem, including joint and back pain, visit your family doctor to review the risks and disadvantages of this treatment method. The quality of nutritional supplements may vary from company to company. A health care professional can direct you toward reputable companies that produce quality supplements.