Meanwhile, many people with osteoarthritis don't have much joint inflammation. All they really have is pain. So, back in 1991, researchers at the University of Indiana School of Medicine gave either ibuprofen or acetaminophen to 184 people with osteoarthritis of the knee. Acetaminophen provided just as much relief. Moist heat .
Heat often soothes the joint pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis.
Moist heat usually works best, says rheumatologist John Abruzzo, M.D., of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He suggests moist heat packs instead of a standard heating pad, hot baths or showers, soaking in a hot tub, or swimming in a well-heated pool. Needle your joints . The NIH panel analyzed six studies. Five showed that compared with placebo treatment, acupuncture produced significant improvement.