The TLDR:

• Sport physios, Strength Coaches, and Athletic Trainers are always looking for ways to get their athletes to recover faster.
• We have covered the positive effects of turmeric, which contains curcurmin, in our CEU courses for physical therapy, especially for those with osteoarthritis.
• A new systematic review shows some promising data that curcumin dosed at 1-4 grams per day may accelerate athletic recovery. More research is needed on timing, Dosing, and what athletes reap the best gains.

If you like what you see here, check out our board-approved continuing education courses for PTs. We cover topics like:

- Nutrition interventions for chronic diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases)

- Advanced nutritional strategies to support physical therapy for patients with metabolic disorders

- Case studies demonstrating successful integration of nutrition into physical therapy care plans

Each physical therapy ceu course emphasizes practical, evidence-based le...

By Dr. Sean M. Wells, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC/L, CSCS, CNPT, Cert-DN

In prior blog posts we have talked about turmeric and its amazing benefits for arthritis. As Modern Doctors of Physical Therapy, we know that combining nutrition interventions with our manual therapy, exercise, and dry needling can make an even bigger impact than simply traditional therapy alone. Well, there’s good news about spices: a large meta analysis of meta analyses has shown that turmeric can help our clients with osteoarthritis and osteopenia. This meta analysis is significant as it is the first to our team’s knowledge looking at turmeric for those with osteopenia. 

A New Study

This mega meta-analysis pooled data from 11 previously published meta-analyses on the effects of curcumin on OA. The analysis showed that curcumin supplementation significantly decreased the following physical therapy and arthritis scores compared to placebo:

• Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain
• Western Ontario and McMaster Universities ...

Which is better and what is turmeric and curcumin?

Turmeric is root much like ginger. I can be ground up and used as delicious spice. It is often used in Indian dishes and has been linked to a reduction in inflammation, diseases, and possibly improved longevity. What's the potential activity compound in turmeric? Curcumin.

Curcumin is refined and processed from tumeric. One gram of turmeric may only contain 0.02 grams of tumeric! That's not much. Some studies highlight the benefits of using supplemented tumeric, such as improvement in arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and rheumatoid conditions; however, other studies still highlight the perk of turmeric root. Other compounds in the turmeric may be responsible.

It may be best to stick with the whole root of turmeric, even though studies are highlighting the benefits of curcumin. For one, turmeric is cheaper than curcumin. Second, turmeric is processed in order to get turmeric, so other compounds that may be beneficial are extr...