According to the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the evidence for several common treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee is weak.
Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, widely used because of claims that they ease joint pain and improve function, worked no better than a placebo (a harmless dummy treatment the patient believes is the medicine).
Some published studies reported success with injections of hyaluronan (to lubricate the knee joint), but the evidence is uncertain because the studies varied in quality, and it is hard to say whether the results would apply to patients in everyday practice. The review included 53 randomised trials of glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronan.
There was also no convincing evidence that arthroscopic surgery to wash out the knee, with or without removing loose fragments and damaged cartilage, helps (23 randomised trials). So other approaches are needed for these patients. Exercise, weight loss and physiotherapy remain the foundations of treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
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