Comfrey Ointment in the Treatment of Back Pain

This double-blind, multi-centre clinical trial investigated the superiority of Comfrey root extract ointment over placebo for patients with acute upper or low back pain. 120 patients were randomized for the 5+/-1 day treatment phase. Patients received applications of 4g of ointment, 3 times daily.

Comfrey ointment was significantly superior to placebo in reducing pain intensity on active standardised movement. Median reduction of pain intensity was 95.2% for Comfrey vs. 37.8% for placebo.

Consistent reductions in back pain at rest, analgesic consumption and functional impairment were also shown for Comfrey. Beneficial effects were evident 1 hour after the application of Comfrey ointment. The authors suggest that the results of this trial are clinically relevant for the treatment of acute back pain.

Source : British Journal of Sports Medicine

References :
Giannetti B, Staiger C et al. Efficacy and safety of a Comfrey root extract ointment in the treatment of acute upper or low back pain: results of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial.Br J Sports Med. 2009 May 21 (Epub).