Medication
This section contains information on orally-taken therapies that are commonly used for knee pain. Please contact us if there are is an
option that you would like to see addressed here.
Chondroitin
Overall, the balance of evidence suggests that chondroitin may improve the pain of knee osteoarthritis (OA) slightly in the short-term (less than six months) and may have a small effect (approximately 20%) on pain.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain is a complex, chronic pain state, which is usually associated with damaged tissue. There is strong evidence that some
anticonvulsant and anti-depressant medications can be effective in treating certain neuropathic (nerve) pain conditions.
Opioids
There is evidence from a 2014 Cochrane review of 22 trials of opioids for osteoarthritis pain that there may be a small improvement in pain and function when compared to placebo treatment.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDS) – Oral
There is strong evidence from multiple randomised trials and meta-analyses of randomised trials that NSAIDs are more effective for the treatment of osteoarthritis than placebo or paracetamol.
Paracetamol
Also known as acetaminophen, paracetamol is commonly prescribed for a wide spectrum of pain, including knee OA.