![knee pain](https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/legacy/healthnews/2010/01/h9769/jcr:content/image.img.cq5dam.thumbnail.500.500.jpg/1534518023269.jpg)
UC HEALTH LINE: There's Hope for Debilitating Knee Pain
CINCINNATIComplaints about knee pain can be all too familiar when you suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee. The condition often keeps sufferers from participating in many activitiessometimes even just standing.
According to the
, osteoarthritis (OA), also called osteoarthroses or degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis.
OA is a chronic condition characterized by the breakdown of the joints cartilage. The breakdown of cartilage causes the bones to rub against each other, leading to stiffness, pain and loss of movement in the joint.
In clinical trials, new treatments do look very promising, says researcher Lesley Arnold, MD, a professor of psychiatry and director of the University of Cincinnati (UC) Womens Health Research Center.
While the majority of Arnolds research focus is on pain management for conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, the pain symptoms of OA carry many similarities.
Typically, she says, the pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee is managed by the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications with brand names such as Motrin, Advil or Aleve, which target inflammation around the site. New treatment approaches strongly suggest the pain can be medicinally managed from the central nervous system, such as with fibromyalgia, she says.
This broad-based approach could provide relief, without the side effects associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (i.e., stomach problems) or blood thinning.
There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but the Arthritis Foundation suggests a number of strategies for OA self-management, including exercise, weight control, realistic goal-setting and self-awareness of your own physical limitations.
But while a healthy lifestyle is important, Arnold and Arthritis Foundation experts agree that some people require pain medication to stay active and control the pain.
UCs Womens Health Research Program is currently conducting a study on knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. For more information, call (513) 475-8115.
Tags
Related Stories
UC 1819 Innovation Hub partner takes health care from Cincinnati...
August 30, 2024
Christopher Lewis, founder of the Village Life Outreach Project and a professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati, strives to boost health outcomes in his hometown and across the world in Tanzania.
How to fend off mosquitoes
![The New York Times logo](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/nyt.png)
August 30, 2024
Mosquitoes can transmit pathogens that cause diseases, including West Nile virus and, in very rare cases, a disease known as Eastern equine encephalitis, or E.E.E. A UC expert spoke to the New York Times about simple precautions to keep mosquitoes away.
Study combines data, molecular simulations to accelerate drug...
August 30, 2024
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have found a new method to increase both speed and success rates in drug discovery. The study, published Aug. 30 in the journal Science Advances, offers renewed promise when it comes to discovering new drugs.