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New plain
language guide on treatments for
Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Newswise — A new pair of plain-language
guides from the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ) examines the
effectiveness, safety, and adverse effects
of various treatments for osteoarthritis of
the knee, including glucosamine and
chondroitin, fluid injections, arthroscopic
surgery, pain medications and other
approaches. Separate guides are available
for patients and clinicians.
The guides summarize the results of a new
report that addresses several questions: How
effective are glucosamine and chondroitin
for osteoarthritis of the knee? Will losing
weight and staying active help the
condition? Are there side effects and risks
associated with shots or arthroscopic
surgery?
AHRQ’s new consumer guide, Osteoarthritis of
the Knee – A Guide for Adults
defines the chronic and often debilitating
condition. It is written to assist patients
who seek answers to basic questions, and to
guide them when they discuss treatment
options with their clinicians.
The clinician guide, Three Treatments for
Osteoarthritis of the Knee: Evidence Shows
Lack of Benefit , includes the same
information but has been designed for people
with a clinical background. The clinician
guide includes a confidence scale that rates
the available evidence.
Among the guides’ conclusions: Evidence
shows that some common treatments for
osteoarthritis of the knee are not helpful
and may have side effects.
Glucosamine and chondroitin, for example,
were not shown to offer improvement and can
cause upset stomach, diarrhea, and headache.
Fluid injections don’t reduce pain or
improve movement and can cause swelling,
minor infection, and pain.
Arthroscopic Surgery does little to reduce
the pain of knee osteoarthritis and can
result in more pain, swelling, infection,
and blood clots in the legs.
The guides also point out that getting and
staying physically active can help reduce
pain and allow for easier joint movement.
Losing weight is recommended to take stress
off of knees.
Some prescription and over-the-counter
medications, including NSAIDs, have been
found to help relieve the pain of knee
osteoarthritis.
AHRQ’s guides on osteoarthritis of the knee
were produced by the Agency’s Effective
Health Care program.
Previous guides in the series compare
treatments for prostate cancer,
osteoporosis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes,
depression and other conditions.
All guides and more information can be found
at
www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov.
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