ABSTRACT
Suppose we are health-care providers treating a middle-aged woman named Eileen Dover, who has chronic low back pain and arthritis. Eileen asks whether she should take glucosamine to help with her back problem. Glucosamine is found in healthy cartilage, and supplements that come from shellfish have been promoted as a possible way to help people with arthritis. Fortunately we have read about recent research involving glucosamine (Wilkens, Scheel, Grundnes, Hellum, & Storheim, 2010). The paper reported that a randomized controlled trial found no significant effect of glucosamine on ratings of pain, disability, or quality of life. Based on this journal article, we tell Eileen that we do not recommend glucosamine for low back pain.
