Osteoarthritis, the most common form of joint disease, is caused by ordinary wear and tear on the surfaces of bones. For athletes who have injured or stressed their knees, it can start at an early age. Older adults may find the swelling, stiffness and pain in their knees increases as they age. Doctors are adding new alternatives to the fight against osteoarthritis and looking for more, says C. Thomas Vangsness, Jr., M.D., co-director of the USC Center for Athletic Medicine.
Various options are available to deal with the pain-from drugs to surgery.
To begin with, Vangsness says, reducing the weight the knee must carry also reduces the stresses on it. A new drug therapy of injectable gels uses hyaluronic acid, an extract from rooster combs, to treat the pain. Vangsness says pain relief may last six months. Osteoarthritis sufferers living outside of the U.S. have used two natural alternatives, glucosamine and chondroitin, for years. Sold as nutritional supplements and not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, they are touted as protective products that help rejuvenate arthritic joints.