Vitamin D Treatment for Spine Pain

According to studies conducted at the University of Adelaide’s School of Population Health, patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain may benefit from vitamin D supplements. While vitamin D isn’t meant to be a cure for chronic pain, research suggests that it may help ease symptoms in some patients. Since there are no negative side effects associated with vitamin D, it’s also considered a safe and cost-effective option for patients.

Today, our Los Angeles spine surgeons are going to talk about the results of this study and whether or not vitamin D is a viable option for those who suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Vitamin D Is Not A Quick Cure

Vitamin D supplements aren’t a quick cure for pain relief. The studies, involving the input of several general practitioners treating patients with chronic pain, suggest that the positive effects of vitamin D supplements on patients are experienced over time, requiring blood tests to determine results specifically related to the vitamin. While vitamin D has shown promising results in some patients with chronic pain, there are no guidelines, at least not right now, for prescribing vitamin D for patients with this type of pain.

A Combination of Sun Exposure and Supplements

In addition to recommending supplements, some of the doctor’s questioned for the research encourage their patients with chronic pain to get more sun exposure to benefit from a natural source of vitamin D. Patient recommendations vary, often depending on how factors such as how much time is spend indoors compared to time spent outdoors. At the same time, too much sun exposure can pose additional health risks, so it’s important to achieve a balance, making it difficult to set standards that can be universally applied to all patients.

The Future of Vitamin D for Treating Pain

It’s safe to assume that further testing is necessary to determine a conclusive link between vitamin D supplements and chronic pain relief. However, it’s promising news for the more than 100 million Americans, according to an estimate by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, suffering from some type of chronic pain.

Chronic Spine Pain & Treatments

If you are living with debilitating and chronic spine pain, looking into vitamin D may help manage symptoms. If you have exhausted all conservative methods thus far and feel that more intensive treatments are required for treating your particular case of back pain, reach out to Dr. Bae at The Spine Institute Center for Spinal Restoration. Dr. Bae is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has years of experience in diagnosing and treating spine pain.

Click here and learn more about Dr. Bae’s current projects and clinical trials for back and neck pain treatment and reach out to us today at (310) 828-7757 to schedule an in-person consultation.