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Senior Correspondent

I was e-mailed the other day by Elisa, one of my back pain blog readers, who told me that she has recently begun to take magnesium chloride for her back pain, (she has scoliosis). What did I think?

Well, to be honest I had not thought much about the subject until Elisa brought it up. I’ve done a quick bit of research and it would appear that magnesium, taken in the form of magnesium chloride is perhaps a bit of a wonder supplement.

It seems that most modern diets are somewhat deficient in magnesium, which is being promoted as a bit of a cure-all for all sorts of problems, not just back pain.

There is an interesting article about magnesuim by Walter Last on the health-science-spirit.com website which you may find interesting. You can also find loads of information just by entering magnesium chloride for back into your search engine.

I am by nature a bit of a skeptic, and I can find no scientific studies as yet, although I only had a quick look. However it is interesting and I hope that Elisa will tell us how she gets on. If any other reader has experience of magnesium, please tell me your experience.

Apparently it would only cost around $50 (£31) for a years supply so it wouldn’t break the bank to give it a go. You can read Walter Last’s article here.

Flat Feet and Knee Pain

According to an article on Reuters.com, older adults with “flat feet” may be more likely than those with higher arches to have chronic knee pain. By older, they are talking about the age 50-plus. To me, that’s not old at all.

Anyway, in a new study researchers at Boston University School of Medicine say the findings raise the possibility that flat feet sometimes contribute to knee osteoarthritis, the common “wear-and-tear” form of arthritis in which the cartilage cushioning the joint breaks down. I know all about that!

The findings are still open to interpretation, but it may well be that something as simple as wearing the right supportive footwear could save many people the chronic pain of osteoarthritis of the knees. Read the full article here.

Postures for Acute Neck Pain Relief.

During my internet wanderings this week I discovered a new site for me, backandbodycare.com. This site has some great information.

One item I found was on good postures to relieve acute neck pain. I have been getting a lot of neck pain recently. I think from spending a lot of time at the keyboard, so I’m always interested in ways to help.

As mentioned before, there’s lots to find on this site, you could spend ages on here. Here’s the link to the neck relief postures.

Back Pain Information Phone App

How about something for nothing? I don’t know how many of you have a smart phone, I have to say I don’t yet, I’m probably not smart enough!

If you have, this information I found on easier.com may appeal to you. Anadin has recently launched their ‘Pain Adviser’ app. Covering the body from head to toe including; headaches, migraines, toothache, neck pain, feverish aches and pains, back pain, period pain, muscle pain, sprains and strains, inflammation and joint pain.

The ‘Pain Advisor’ app allows you to tap on the area of the body that hurts and find out the answers. Sounds fun, and could be quite useful. The app is available to download for free from app stores. Or just go here and download from that page.

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