What Treatment Approaches to Knee OA Are Currently Practiced?
• At 2008 overview of knee osteoarthritis management in Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America called for conservative treatment, outlining recommendations from the Task Force of Standing Committee for International Clinical Studies including Therapeutic Trials (ESCISIT). In summary, the guidelines were: a. Combination nonpharmacologic and phamacologic treatment b. Treatment tailored according to risk factors, such as obesity and activity, age, level of pain, signs of inflammation,and location and extent of structural damage c. Education, exercise, use of appliances, and weight reduction d. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) as the first analgesic used and the preferred long-term choice if efficacy is established e. Topical NSAIDs and capsaicin are efficacious and safe f. NSAIDs can be considered in patients for whom paracetamol is not helpful. Nonselective NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors play a role for a subset of patients g. Opioid analgesics, with or without paracetamol, can be useful in p
