According to a research article published in the British Medical Journal, the joint pain medications glucosamine and chondriotin help reduce pain in osteoarthritis but do not treat the symptoms of the problem. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and The Arthritis Foundation, USA, says that about 27 million Americans are affected with this. It is a progressive disease where the symptoms gradually worsen over time. Gradually the cartilage gets damaged, and bony growth can appear around the joint's edges which cause inflammation and pain. Any joint in the body like hips, knees, hands, lower back, or neck can get affected. It cannot be cured, but therapies can help with pain and swelling. However the experts who did research say that taking the supplements does not harm patients either. The medicines are not dangerous for human health. These only work as anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.

But they add that these are fine for people who have been taking this but people seeking treatment for osteoarthritis for the first time should request for medication that not only pain, but also slow down the disease's growth in the body.

The study was carried out because the researchers found that there has been an increased usage of the two drugs, and the earlier researches on their efficacy were contradictory. When the research team checked the study of 3,803 patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip they found that either singly or in combination glucosamine, and chondritin did not really work on the joint pain or the narrowing of the joint space. They only took care of the pain and more or less had a placebo effect.

Medicine Arthritis