Efficacy of Homoeopathy and Physiotherapy in Chronic Low Back Pain Due to Osteoarthritis

Summary

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic arthropathy characterised by disruption and possible loss of joint cartilage along with other joint changes. OA symptoms include progressively developing joint pain provoked or elicited by activity, joint stiffness that lasts for less than 30 minutes on waking and after activity, and occasional joint swelling. It is a common specific mechanical cause of chronic low back pain. Conventional treatment for OA includes physiotherapy treatment and drugs such as paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), intra-articular injection of corticosteroids and surgery, however these may have possible side effects. Arnica montana, Bryonia alba, Rhus toxicodendron, Causticum, Kalmia latifolia and Calcarea fluoride are homoeopathic remedies indicated and used in the treatment of OA, however, there is no evidence of studies conducted on a complex made up of these remedies. The aim of the study is to investigate the efficacy of the homoeopathic complex (Arnica montana 6CH, Bryonia alba 6CH, Causticum 6CH, Kalmia latifolia 6CH, Rhus toxicodendron 6CH and Calcarea fluoride 6CH) and physiotherapy in the treatment of chronic low back pain due to osteoarthritis, using the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire, range of motion (ROM) measurement using the attraction tape and the visual analogue pain scale (VAS) .

Timeline

Start

2013-07

Primary completion

2014-07

Completion

2014-07

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper Intergroup analysis revealed that the treatment group significantly outperformed the control group with regard to pain, daily functioning, and ROM. PMID 26773321 ↗

Publications

• Morris M, Pellow J, Solomon EM, Tsele-Tebakang T. Physiotherapy and a Homeopathic Complex for Chronic Low-back Pain Due to Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study. Altern Ther Health Med. 2016 Jan-Feb;22(1):48-56.

Drugs

Indications