Condition
Chronic musculoskeletal pain
Persistent, non-specific pain in muscles and joints lasting months.
Affects Lower back
See a clinician
Some causes of chronic musculoskeletal pain need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- New severe or night pain, unexplained weight loss, or a history of cancer
- Fever together with the pain
What may help
Remedies studied for chronic musculoskeletal pain, ranked by strength of evidence.
- B Capsaicin (topical) chemical
Useful for localized musculoskeletal pain when rubbed on the affected area.
- C
- C Vitamin D nutrient
Supplementation does not reliably reduce chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain; low vitamin D is associated with pain, but correcting it has shown inconsistent benefit.
Chronic musculoskeletal pain is best managed with movement, sleep, and a clinician’s guidance. Some widely promoted fixes (such as vitamin D) have weak or inconsistent evidence outside of correcting a true deficiency.