Consuming over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pills, will not do much to relieve knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, say researchers who analyzed the results of 23 studies comparing the drugs to placebos.
The study involved nearly 10,900 patients. About 7,800 received NSAIDs, and around 3,000 received placebos. The average age of people in the studies was 62 and most had been experiencing symptoms for about eight years. Since long-term use of NSAID drugs has been linked to serious side effects in the elderly, including gastrointestinal bleeding, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure, the investigators conclude the drugs should not be used for long-term pain relief.In conclusion researchers say NSAIDs can reduce short-term pain in osteoarthritis of the knee slightly better than placebo, but the current analysis does not support long-term use of NSAIDs for this condition as serious adverse effects are associated with oral NSAIDs, they recommend only limited use .
