A new practice guideline from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) underscores recent research showing that some commonly used treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee lack any strong support from scientific evidence.
The AAOS guideline, released in December, offers 22 treatment recommendations for patients with OA of the knee whose disease has not progressed to the point of needing joint replacement surgery. It supports neither the widely advertised nutritional supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate or hydrochloride nor customized orthotics such as heel wedges. The guideline is aimed at primary care physicians as well as orthopedic surgeons (http://www.aaos.org/Research/guidelines/GuidelineOAKnee.asp).
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(Photo credit: CNRI/www.sciencesource.com)
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"It's clear that joint replacement has huge value in treating end-stage osteoarthritis pain," said John Richmond, MD, chair of the AAOS working group that produced the guideline recommendations. "But the real issue is, how do you treat people short of joint replacement?" . . . [Full Text of this Article]
"REFINEMENT" OF CURRENT DATA
