[Non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis of large joints - new aspects]

A large number of treatment options exist for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. The choice of therapy depends on clinical symptomatology, preexisting risk factors (e.g. obesity), and disease stage. This review includes the novel aspects of symptomatic conservative treatment (physical medicine and drugs), especially pain management (electrotherapy), and rehabilitational aspects. Rehabilitation is essential, as osteoarthritis is a chronic condition, that requires lifelong intervention, and a causal cure has not been identified yet. New aspects of hyaluronic acid, slow-acting symptomatic drugs in osteoarthritis (chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, and diacerein), and experimental drugs, which claim the properties of disease modification in osteoarthritis (bisphosphonates, calcitonin, and interleukin-1 antagonists), are discussed.