A new study shows that applying an ointment with comfrey root extract to the lower back reduced acute low back pain by 95%.* And, just to be sure that it wasn't the massage that did the trick, people who received an ointment without the comfrey root also improved about 40%. So, the comfrey root appears to relieve acute low back pain better than just massaging a ordinary moisturizer on your back.
But, what exactly is "acute" low back pain? I'll bet that most people don't know or they take the word "acute" to mean "intense". The National Institutes of Health defines acute low back pain as lasting "a few days to a few weeks." Sorry to be picky, but is a few weeks three? four? six?
Here's my interpretation. Acute low back pain lasts less than one month. Sub-acute low back pain lasts up to three months and anything over three months is chronic.
If you have acute low back pain of less than one month, comfrey root ointment might be worth a try rather than something like Advil, Motrin, etc. But, if you don't feel better within two weeks, get some help. When acute low back pain turns chronic, everything gets more difficult.
DK
* Efficacy and safety of comfrey root extract ointment in the treatment of acute upper or lower back pain: results of a double blind randomised placebo controlled multicentre trial Online First Br J Sports Med 2009; doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2009.058677
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