Although some patients benefit from antidepressants for osteoarthritis pain, it s difficult to know which patients will benefit and which will be more likely to experience harm.
Platelet-rich plasma injections did not significantly improve knee osteoarthritis pain symptoms or joint structure compared with placebo injections in a randomized controlled trial.
Platelet-rich plasma injections for mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA) show no improvements in pain, function, or cartilage structure, compared with placebo.
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Although guidelines do not recommend use of opioids to manage pain for individuals with knee osteoarthritis, a recent study published early online in
Arthritis Care & Research, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals, estimates that 858,000 Americans use opioids such as tramadol and oxycodone for their knee pain, equating to $14 billion in lifetime opioid-related societal costs, or nearly $0.5 billion annually.
A team led by Elena Losina, PhD, Robert W. Lovett Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, of Brigham and Women s Hospital, used a computer simulation to estimate the annual and lifetime contribution of opioids to knee osteoarthritis-related costs. The researchers show the direct medical cost of knee osteoarthritis treatment including opioids totals $7.45 billion or 53 percent of the total lifetime costs. The remaining 47 percent of lifetime costs to society is used to pay for lost productivity at wor