Omega-3 supplements shown to relieve back pain

According to the results of a short-term trial, omega-3 fatty acid supplements may be effective for relieving neck and low back pain. The team for this study was lead by Joseph Charles Maroon, MD, and Jeffrey W. Bost, PAC, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, and the results of this study were published in the April 2006 issue of Surgical Neurology.

For this study, 250 patients were evaluated by a neurosurgeon and found to have nonsurgical neck or back pain. These patients were asked to take a total of 1200 mg/day of omega-3 EFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and decosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) for the period between March and June 2004. Both of these chemicals are commonly found in fish oil supplements. Approximately 1 month after starting the supplement, these patients were asked to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire.

Of the 250 patients, 125 returned the questionnaire. Dosage of EFAs was 1200 mg in 78 percent and 2400 mg in 22 percent. The questionnaires reported many benefits. One such benefit was the discontinuation of prescription SAIDs in 59 percent of patients. SAIDs, as recent findings have shown, at times lead to extreme complications such as ulcers or heart disease. 60 percent of the responses said there was an overall improvement in pain and 80 percent reported a satisfaction with the level of improvement. There were no significant adverse effects reported, and 88 percent stated they would continue to take the fish oil supplements. The authors concluded that, "Omega-3 EFA fish oil supplements appear to be a safer alternative to NSAIDs for treatment of nonsurgical neck or back pain in this selective group."

The limitations for this study included retrospective, non-placebo-controlled survey design, a possible variability in underlying patient pathology, and lack of long-term follow-up. The team commented that appropriately designed studies are needed in the future to confirm the effectiveness of omega-3 EFA for pain relief.

Article References
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements May Help Relieve Neck, Lower Back, site accessed on 05/21/2006