Musculoskeletal Health

Cherries as anti-inflammatory therapy in musculoskeletal medicine The other day I was discussing oral analgesics with one of my patients, an avid long-distance runner. She surprised me by asking, “What do you know about cherries? ” I was born and raised in northern Michigan, the largest producer of tart cherries and the third largest producer of sweet cherries in the United States, according to the US Department of Agriculture.1 So I met her gaze confidently and answered, “I know they’re yummy. ” She politely told me that the Internet is abuzz with claims that cherry consumption is as good for muscle pain as common NSAIDs. It sounded too good to be true. Background Anti-inflammatory cherry use is not a new idea. In the 1950s cherries were recommended for arthritis an