Blood samples taken from 600 participants with either chronic low back pain, sub-acute low back pain, or no history of back pain showed no significant difference in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the three groups. However, the researchers did observe that the men and women in both of the back pain groups were more likely to have greater levels of vitamin D deficiency, which suggests that severe vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the development of low back pain. As a result, future guidelines for the management of back pain may include vitamin D testing and treatment.
Clinical Rheumatology, August 2017