As a chiropractic physician my recommendations are made based on a variety of factors including spinal biomechanics, research evidence and practical considerations such as ease of advice implementation and cost particular products. I would like to disclose that, although I may get a referral fee from some of the items advertised or reviewed, this will never impact the integrity of my reviews or recommendations. I hope you find my recommendations useful; however, if you have a specific spinal problem or condition, and have not yet done so, it is recommended that you contact your qualified health care provider for recommendations that may apply to your particular case.
Peter C. Spathis, DC
The Best Supplements To Support Spinal Joint Health & Relieve Back Pain
Before choosing a specific joint supplement to relieve back pain or help maintain the health of spinal joints, we should review three different classes of supplements as the effect and mechanism of action is different in each case. The first class is supplements that help maintain joint health by providing nutritional support to the joints. These supplements provide nutrients or substances that joints require to stay hydrated and maintain structural integrity. The second class of supplements are ones that address joint inflammation. Anti-inflammatory supplements can help control or relieve back pain (as well as extremity joint pain) by reducing joint inflammation. As this is a catagory that deserves its own discussion, please click on this anti-inflammatory supplements link for information specifically about natural, non-prescription, anti-inflammatory nutritional supplements. The third catagory is combination supplements - ones that help maintain joint health by providing nutrients and substances required by joints as well as helping reduce pain by including anti-inflammatory agents in the mix.
It may be tempting to think that the combination supplements are always the best choice as they address not only the nutritional support that joints require but inflammation as well. However, this is not always the case. Certain supplements can interact with some prescription medications and by be contraindicated in these cases. For example, if you are taking a prescription anti-inflammatory, you should discuss with your primary care physician or qualified health care provider if you can also take whatever non-prescription anti-inflammatory product you are considering. If fact, it is recommended that you discuss any supplement use with your qualified health care provider to ensure that this is not contraindicated for any reason in your specific case.
Your purpose for taking a joint supplement should also be considered before deciding what type of supplement you should choose. If you are not in pain and would like to just try to maintain joint health and function over the years, perhaps you do not need a combination supplement that includes and anti-inflammatory agent. If you have back pain and are trying to control this pain while helping provide nutrition to your joints to maintain joint function, perhaps a combination supplement is for you. Finally, cost may be a factor. Some joint supplements can be very expensive. If you can benefit from a less expensive product, you may not wish to take a product with additional ingredients that you don't need. With these considerations in mind, I hope you find the following supplement review helpful.
This joint supplement has the most common ingredients you would expect in such a product, such as glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. However, it also contains a lot more. Their "proprietary blend" includes turmeric/curcumin, boswellia serrata extract, hydrolyzed collagen, chondroitin sulfate, bromelain, ginger root, hyaluronic acid and fruitex-b calcium fructoborate. That's a pretty good combination of ingredients that function to promote joint health and possibly help rebuild joint cartilage as well as reduce inflammation. Individual results will vary but, assuming you don't have any allergies or contraindications to any of the products in this supplement (including ingredients not mentioned such as shellfish - please read full item description on the link), this product is very reasonably priced and worth considering.
Although this product is advertised as a glucosamine-chondroitin supplement, it is actually a combination supplement that contains several other ingredients that may help back and other joint pain. The primary ingredient is, by far, glucosamine sulfate but it also contains boswellia, chondroitin sulfate, turmeric, quercetin, methionine, MSM and bromelain. These ingredients may be helpful in both supporting joint cartilage health as well as reducing inflammation. This product is priced very reasonably and represents a good value.
This supplement is a little different from many combination joint supplements in that it does not include the typical glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM ingredients. Instead, it provides collagen, curcuminoids, calcium fructoborate (fruitex-b), boswellia serrata, sodium hyaluronate and polyphenols from green tea leaf extract. It may be tempting to pick a joint supplement with the largest number of different ingredients. However, only so much of a particular ingredient can be supplied in a given product to avoid unreasonable serving sizes and cost. Although this supplement does not include the glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM combination previously mentioned, it does provide a combination of ingredients that may help reduce joint pain and inflammation. If the typical spinal joint supplements have not worked for you, especially for back pain, I believe this product is worth trying.
