J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  1997 Jun;21(3):511-517.

Effect of Topical Capsaicin in Chronic Low Back and Posterior Neck Pain

• Kim MY
• Na YM
• Kang SW
• Moon JH

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topically applied capsaicin cream for the treatment of chronic low back and posterior neck pain. Fourty-one patients with chronic low back or posterior neck pain of more than 6 months despite comprehensive management in our rehabilitation department were selected for this study. Of these subjects, a group of 21 patients used capsaicin cream, and the other 21 patients used NSAID gel as a control group. Pain intensities in both groups were measured with the visual analogue scale(VAS) before the treatment, 2 weeks and 5 weeks after the treatment. McGill Pain Questionnaire(MPQ) was used before and 5 weeks after the treatment. According to followed-up VAS, MPQ-number of words chosen, and MPQ-pain rating index, there was an evidence of effective pain relief by capsaicin cream for the low back and posterior neck pain 5 weeks after the treatment. We conclude that continuous use of capsaicin cream for 5 weeks can be beneficial for the chronic pain patients in relieving pain and subsequently helping their rehabilitation process.

Keyword

Capsaicin cream; Chronic low back pain; Chronic posterior neck pain

MeSH Terms

Capsaicin*
Chronic Pain
Humans
Neck Pain*
Rehabilitation
Capsaicin