[Medication a complement to other forms of pain management in osteoarthritis]

Osteoarthritis of the peripheral joints is a common cause of joint pain and joint stiffness. There is still no treatment that effectively can inhibit the structural changes of osteoarthritis, i.e. osteophytes, cartilage thinning and subchondral sclerosis. The main goal of treating patients with osteoarthritis is thus to relieve symptoms and to restore function. Pharmacological treatment with NSAIDs is often, used. However, there is good evidence for the effectiveness of both other pharmacological treatments (i.e. paracetamol) and non-pharmacological treatments like training, patient education and sometimes local treatment of affected joints. When using pharmacological treatment, a standardised evaluation is recommended. There are studies suggesting a "disease modifying effect" of some compounds, but their role in modern osteoarthritis therapy remains to be established.