Pain Management Dietary Recommendations

Can specific ingredients impact pain scores? At the moment there are too many gaps in knowledge to make recommendations on dietary supplements and nutrition. However, a recent Pain Medicine editorial, along with a series of articles, suggests additional research to potentially change current policies of the US Special Operation Command (USSOCOM). USSOCOM workers sustain musculoskeletal injuries from their physical work, often resulting in acute or chronic pain, usually self-treated with NSAIDs.

Dietitians are suggesting better food and nutrition choices may lessen pain, and lessen the need for medication. The editorial calls for “clear, comprehensive, and unbiased information” from a “group of stakeholders and subject matter experts with expertise in human performance, nutrition, operational medicine, sports performance, behavioral health, and pain management” to “develop evidence-based dietary ingredient recommendations for guiding clinical practice.”

One of the goals is to track ingredients and their impact of pain scores. “The Defense Veterans Pain Rating Scale, the accepted Department of Defense tool for monitoring changes in pain…would help build the evidence needed to drive clinical practice guidelines and eventually policy. Until that time, providers at least have the evidence needed to make informed decisions about the safe use of these dietary ingredients that can influence pain for a variety of chronic conditions.

Read about the recommendations.

Access the journal article.

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