http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/07/glucosamine-no-relief-for-low-back-pain-sufferers/?hpt=T2
09:52 AM ET
Glucosamine no relief for low back pain sufferers
New research leaves more questions than answers for those with chronic low back pain.
A study released Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests glucosamine pills do not provide relief for lower back pain. The study, conducted at Oslo University Hospital in Norway, looked at 250 people over the age of 25, with chronic low back pain who also had degenerative discs in their lower backs. Researchers gave half of the patients daily doses of 1,500 miligrams of glucosamine. The other half received a placebo.
Here's what they found: there was little difference with patients who took glucosamine compared with those patients who took the placebo. Lead study author, Philip Wilkens, who's also a research fellow at Oslo University Hospital, says "glucosamine is not going to help the patient better than the placebo...in terms of chronic low back pain."
Every year Americans spend at least $50 billion on treating their low back pain and it's one of the leading reasons why people miss work. Glucosamine is a natural compound that is found in healthy cartilage and is commonly used to help with low back and knee pain.
So if you take glucosamine for back pain, what should you do?
Dr. Scott D. Boden, director of the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center, says he may still recommend trying glucosamine for a six-month trial to those patients who are interested in trying it. He says it's not surprising that glucosamine is not effective for all types of low back pain, but he suggests "there may certain subgroups of low back pain sufferers who may be responsive to the drug."
There are other ways to ease the pain if you are one of the 25 percent of Americans who experience at least one day of back pain every month. Exercises including yoga and pilates, massage therapy, and medications such as cortisone injections are just a few of the options to help relieve low back pain.
honestly this study is shit, have the full thing? how long was the intervention was there any other health conditions what was the etiology? i mean back pain can be related to strined musculature, ligamentous damage, osteoarthritis, discherniationl,spodyolethesis etc etc.. look at glucoscamines MOA, the whole thing sounds retarded if that is the study
Efficacy of glucosamine sulfate treatment in patients with osteoarthritis
Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2007 March.
Glucosamine sulfate, which is precursor of glucosamineglycans synthesis, plays a special role among known disease modifying drugs. To assess the efficacy of treatment of osteoarthritis patients with glucosamine sulfate (Artreum joint formula). 50 patients with OA of the knees (38 pts) or hips (12 pts) entered into study (41 women, 9 men, aged 50-83 yr.). 47 patients completed the study (39 women, 9 men). All patients have been treated with 500 mg of joint formula three times daily for 12 weeks. In this study we found that glucosamine joint formula treatment causes significant improvement in functional status and pain.
Glucosamine joint formula for athletes
Glucosamine administration in athletes: effects on recovery of acute knee injury.
Res Sports Med. 2007 Apr-June Institute of Sports Medicine, Sports Academy, Belgrade, Serbia.
The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of 4 weeks of glucosamine administration on the functional ability and the degree of pain intensity in competitive male athletes after acute knee injury. This study was a randomized, double-blind parallel trial of glucosamine (1500 mg per day) or a placebo for 28 days, utilising 106 patients with an acute knee injury. No significant difference was found between the glucosamine, and placebo group in mean pain intensity scores for resting and walking, and degree of knee swelling. There was no significant difference between passive knee flexibilityt. After 28 days of treatment the patients from the glucosamine group demonstrated significant improvement in knee flexion and extension as compared with the placebo group.
the action of the drug makes it such that a period of several weeks is needed to deem effectiveness. One study that has terrible methodological flaws proves nothing. that is anti-science.
Ann Rheum Dis. 2010 Jun 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Clinical efficacy and safety of glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, their combination, celecoxib or placebo taken to treat osteoarthritis of the knee: 2-year results from GAIT.
Sawitzke AD, Shi H, Finco MF, Dunlop DD, Harris CL, Singer NG, Bradley JD, Silver D, Jackson CG, Lane NE, Oddis CV, Wolfe F, Lisse J, Furst DE, Bingham CO, Reda DJ, Moskowitz RW, Williams HJ, Clegg DO.
1University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: /st> Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of pain and functional limitation in older adults, yet longer-term studies of medical treatment of OA are limited. OBJECTIVE: /st> To evaluate the efficacy and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate (CS), alone or in combination, as well as celecoxib and placebo on painful knee OA over 2 years. METHODS: /st> A 24-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, conducted at nine sites in the US ancillary to the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial, enrolled 662 patients with knee OA who satisfied radiographic criteria (Kellgren/Lawrence grade 2 or 3 changes and baseline joint space width of at least 2 mm). This subset continued to receive their randomised treatment: glucosamine 500 mg three times daily, CS 400 mg three times daily, the combination of glucosamine and CS, celecoxib 200 mg daily, or placebo over 24 months. The primary outcome was a 20% reduction in Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain over 24 months. Secondary outcomes included an Outcome Measures in Rheumatology/Osteoarthritis Research Society International response and change from baseline in WOMAC pain and function. RESULTS: /st> Compared with placebo, the odds of achieving a 20% reduction in WOMAC pain were celecoxib: 1.21, glucosamine: 1.16, combination glucosamine/CS: 0.83 and CS alone: 0.69, and were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: /st> Over 2 years, no treatment achieved a clinically important difference in WOMAC pain or function as compared with placebo. However, glucosamine and celecoxib showed beneficial but not significant trends. Adverse reactions were similar among treatment groups and serious adverse events were rare for all treatments.
using the above logic nsaids dont work either
anyway ill post many more studies when i get home from work.
nt Orthop. 2010 Apr 19. [Epub ahead of print]
Efficacy and tolerance of enzymatic hydrolysed collagen (EHC) vs. glucosamine sulphate (GS) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA).
Trč T, Bohmová J.
Orthopaedic Clinic, 2nd Medical School, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, tomas.trc@lfmotol.cuni.cz.
Abstract
This was a 13-week, multicentre, randomised, parallel, double-blind study. One hundred men and women volunteers aged >/=40 years with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) were randomised to once daily enzymatic hydrolysed collagen (EHC) 10 g or glucosamine sulphate (GS) 1.5 g for 90 consecutive days. Follow-up took place after two weeks and after one, two and three months. Primary [visual analogue scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC Index)] and secondary outcomes variables, assessed at weeks two, four, eight and 12, were KOA pain intensity measured by quadruple visual analogue scales in the target knee, the WOMAC total score index, patient's and investigator's global assessments of disease activity, joint assessment, use of rescue medication (ibuprofen 400 mg tablets) and assessment of Quality of Life index (SF-36 Questionnaire). Safety and tolerability were also evaluated. Clear improvement was observed in both joint pain and symptoms in patients with KOA treated with EHC (Colatech(R)) and significant differences were observed. Mean reductions from baseline for EHC 10 g daily and GS 1.5 g, respectively, were KOA pain intensity reduction in the target knee for Colatech(R) (p < 0.05): WOMAC index decrease </= 15 points at the last visit (day 90) for Colatech(R) in 16 patients (34.04%) (p < 0.05) and for glucosamine in six patients (13.04%); total score index for painful joints: Colatech(R) 1.6 (p < 0.05) and glucosamine 1.8; total score index for swollen joints: Colatech(R) 0.5 (p < 0.05) and glucosamine 0.7; patient's global assessment of efficacy as the sum of improvement good + ideal: 80.8% for Colatech(R) and 46.6% for glucosamine (p < 0.05). EHC (Colatech(R)) showed superior improvement over GS in the SF-36 Questionnaire in the Physical Health Index (42.0 for Colatech and 40.0 for glucosamine). The incidence of adverse events was similar in both groups. Both EHC and GS were well tolerated.
Glucosamine but not ibuprofen alters cartilage turnover in osteoarthritis patients in response to physical training.
Petersen SG, Saxne T, Heinegard D, Hansen M, Holm L, Koskinen S, Stordal C, Christensen H, Aagaard P, Kjaer M.
Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. sp12@bbh.regionh.dk
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in levels of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and urine c-telopeptide of type-2 collagen (CTX-II) as markers for cartilage turnover in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, in response to muscle strength training in combination with treatment with glucosamine, ibuprofen or placebo. DESIGN: A 12-week double blind, placebo controlled, randomized study. METHOD: Thirty-six elderly patients with bilateral tibiofemoral knee OA determined by radiography were randomly assigned to treatment with glucosamine (n=12), ibuprofen (n=12) or placebo (n=12) during 12 weeks of strength training of both legs with focus on the quadriceps muscle. Strength tests (5 repetition maximum), blood and urine sampling were performed before and after the training period. Serum COMP and urinary CTX-II were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: All three groups increased their muscle strength following 12 weeks of strength training (P<0.001). Serum COMP levels were reduced in the glucosamine-treated group after the training period (P=0.012), whereas they did not change in the two other groups. Glucosamine reduced COMP statistically significant compared to both placebo and ibuprofen; the mean reduction with glucosamine was 13% vs placebo (P=0.0378) and 17% vs ibuprofen (P=0.0122). Urinary CTX-II levels did not change significantly in any of the three experimental groups. CONCLUSION: Serum COMP decreased significantly over the 12-week training period when treatment with glucosamine was added to the training regimen. This suggests an effect by glucosamine on the response of the OA cartilage to a period of joint loading in humans with knee OA. Copyright 2009 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
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