Knee Pain: Treat With Lifestyle Changes

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A review of 47 studies on 22,037 patients with knee osteoarthritis treated for at least 12 months showed no clear difference in controlling long-term pain between medications and placebos (JAMA, 2018;320(24):2564-2579). There was a slight time-limited pain control with a non-steroidal (celecoxib) and glucosamine.

With the exception of immune suppressants that have lots of serious side effects, medications, and health supplements do not prevent progressive damage to joints and are used only to help lessen pain. The list of medications for osteoarthritis is huge, including:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and other pain medicines.
• Antioxidants.
• Bone strengtheners such as bisphosphonates.
• Joint injections such as hyaluronic acid and corticosteroids.
• Chemicals found in cartilage such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.
• Disease-modifying agents such as cindunistat or sprifermin.

Know the Cause of Your Joint Pain

If you do not already have a diagnosis, check with a doctor to see if you have rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, reactive arthritis from an infection, or some other known cause of joint pain. If you have sudden locking of your joint that gets better and then recurs, you may have “joint mice,” loose pieces of cartilage that slip between your cartilage to cause horrible pain. This can usually be cured by removing the loose pieces with arthroscopic surgery.